Worth Saving
by Shadowyman
Summary: A young man, disillusioned by the horrors of his past and the Wasteland, is catapulted into the world of Remnant. Faced with an evil determined to destroy humanity, he joins Beacon to hunt down the creatures of darkness and to atone for his crimes. But as he joins Team RWBY he is faced with much more than just hunting monsters. Fallout NV Crossover. Courier x Harem.
1. Dust to Dust

**Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY nor do I own the Fallout franchise. I also have no intention of making money off of this story.**

* * *

Dust. Dust and darkness. That was all he saw as he walked through the tattered remnants of Nevada. Nighttime had blanketed the wasteland and the far away lights of New Vegas did little to illuminate the path in front of him. Even so he kept his head high and swept his eyes back and forth, ready to face whatever the broken world would throw at him.

Glancing down at his Pip-Boy 3000 he found it to be nearly midnight and he sighed in realization. He had been traveling for hours down south and there was no sign of refuge anywhere. He admittedly did pass the town of Nipton an hour ago, but the town was still covered in gore and ash, a scar on the earth left by the now destroyed Legion.

Legion…NCR…Hoover Dam. He stopped and shook his head violently as images of the battle rushed back. The whole ordeal was a huge blur now, but several, torturous moments permanently repeated themselves in his head. Their screams, their cries for help…

No…no he had to steel himself. These flashes of the recent past were getting too numerous, too vivid and the nightmares were even worse. Nowadays sleep and dreams were not the usual sanctuary he could escape to, but were often worse than the hellish reality he survived every day. Radiation, the mutants, hunger, thirst, heat exhaustion, these dangers were all petty before his own mind, his own second hell. He shook his head again, clearing away the burning memories and trudged onwards. But with each step and each crunch of his steel boots he couldn't help but remember his companions, his dead companions; their bodies long lost and forgotten atop that forsaken dam, no epitaphs, no ceremonies, just war.

And what a war. A war for petty resources and a war for petty pride. A dying Bear and a brainless Bull , two broken armies fighting under the Mojave sun to scrounge up enough energy and dignity so that they may live on for a few more years. He himself fought for NCR because compared to the Legion and Robert House it seemed like the most reasonable of the three evils. He had thought the NCR perhaps had the talent and the manpower needed to save what little was left of the Mojave wastes before the dust of the wasteland would consume it. But in the end all the NCR did was give him a medal for his efforts, a speech, a title, and then went back to stroking its own pride. There was no change, no aid for the sick, the wounded, the irradiated, and hungry. All that mattered now was NCR and it made him sick.

Now here he was, the famous and infamous Courier, running away from it all.

"What's with this piece of junk?"

The Courier stopped the instant he heard the unknown man's question. He dropped down low to avoid detection and slowly crept through the darkness over what seemed like a group of old broken cars and trashcans. Soon more voices joined in and from the sounds of their swearing and growling he was sure they were simple bandits or gang members.

"Whatever this shit is its glowing blue. Is it alive? The damn metal leg is still twitching."

"Fuck that eye is scary! It's like some sorta giant is staring at me. Let's get the fuck outta here I'm getting fucking creeped out."

Now the Courier was very curious. Normally ridiculous ramblings like that was the product of Jet or Med-X use but all three of them couldn't be imagining the same thing. No, no they found something strange, something potentially dangerous and life threatening for the innocents around here.

As he crept closer he crouched behind a car and peaked over its hood to find several Jackal gang members and the group's findings. The Jackals themselves were typical ones, three men standing in a circle armed with scavenged and rotten weapons. Two were armed with lead pipes while the other had a sawed off shotgun hanging loosely on his shoulder. But it was between them that caught the Courier's attention.

It was a satellite and a crashed one at that. Its blue solar panels were shattered and its metal framing was warped and bent. One leg was indeed twitching erratically and a few sparks fled into the night from the satellite's exposed wires. Yet it was still somehow operational and its camera projected one lone, blue staring eye onto a large white panel. The Courier gave a quick glance at the eye and silently concurred with the scared Jackal member.

"Fuck you man," One of the lead pipe wielding members snapped. "We ain't leaving this thing. I say we break it apart and sell it. We could use the caps."

The other member gave a nod but the shotgun wielding one shook his head and readied his weapon. "Hell no! You see that fucking thing?" He asked harshly as he motioned towards the projected eye with his head. "I don't want anything to do with that…that thing! I say we leave and forget about this."

"And lose out on whiskey and Jet you fucking moron? This is a fucking treasure we have here."

The Jackal was quickly losing his patience and jabbed his shotgun right into his fellow member's chest. "I ain't repeating myself fuckhead! We are leaving right now!"

"No," The three gasped and turned to find a lone man walking towards them. If he was any other random Wastelander they would've been glad to find a nice victim to vent their frustrations on but this man was different. He wore black metal armor studded with rivets and ceramic pieces and nearly covered the man's body with the exception of a few areas to allow the man's arms, legs, and hands to move freely. His helmet matched the armor in color with the exception of a white mouth piece and glowing yellow eyes, making him look like some sort of metal demon of the night. "You aren't going anywhere."

"The fuck are you?" One of the pipe holding Jackals asked. "This is our loot asshole!"

"Shut up!" The shotgun toting one roared. "We'll talk about this piece of shit junk later," He then gave the Courier a sadistic grin. "After we scrap this tin man."

The Courier didn't offer the gang a reply and lifted his wrist to click on his Pip-Boy. "Good." He said as the men began to run towards him. "Better to fight me than kill the prospectors around here."

One of the lead pipe wielding members was the first to attack, charging headfirst and raising his weapon high into the night sky ready to pummel the Courier. A flash of amber and the Courier's yellow eyes was all he saw before his torso exploded into a shower of blood and gore. The mess splattered both of his companions behind him, forcing them to cover their faces and stop while voicing their disgust. The Courier wasn't fazed as he readied his Ballistic Fist, clenching his fist to unload a shotgun shell from his weapon. The second Jackal faced a similar fate as the Courier's fist crashed into his stomach, blowing apart his flesh and bone until it was only a bile and blood filled hole remained. As the bloody corpse fell to the crimson stained ground the last Jackal was busy running the opposite way.

"Fuck this!" He screamed sacredly as he turned his head, wide eyed to find the Courier chasing him. The armored man was fast on his feet, quickly closing the distance between the two Wastelanders as he reloaded his gauntlet.

"No escape Jackal," threatened the Courier. "I'm not letting you hurt any more innocent people."

The Jackal could only give a yell of pure frustration as he sprinted towards the crashed satellite. Then, showing off a surprising amount of athleticism, the gang member jumped over the pile and turned around to face his still charging assailant. "Like hell you are tin man!" The terrified man let loose a shotgun blast only to find the scattershot bounce off the Courier's armor as if they were thrown pebbles. "Fuck you!"

The Courier ignored the man's obscenities and stopped just short of the satellite wreckage and reached over it to grab the Jackal's arm. The gang member screamed towards the stars as the Courier effortlessly crushed his arm and pulled him over the satellite and slightly into the air. The Courier silenced the screaming with one final shotgun aided punch into the man's collar, blowing the Jackal's ribcage open and shooting flecks of bone and meat into the air.

Throwing the newly dead corpse to the side the Courier sighed as he surveyed around the wreckage. Finding no more threats in the darkness he fiddled with his Pip-Boy again. Soon his black armor and Ballistic Fist shined a bright amber glow and then disappeared, leaving the man in more casual attire.

"Three Jackals dead," the man muttered to himself as he cracked his neck. "Three less murderers out here in the south."

His thoughts were interrupted by a sudden buzzing and popping noise. Surprised, the Courier quickly looked around only to again find nothing. Looking down he found the gore from his last kill had landed all over the satellite and into its wiring. The lone eye projection grew fuzzy as the buzzing intensified and finally turned into blue flecks once the satellite began to hum as well. The blue glow grew brighter and more intense until it threatened to blind the Courier who by now turned tail to run. He could only a single step before the satellite exploded into a blue light.

A few moments later and darkness fell over the Mojave Drive-in again, everything was still and quiet, and the Courier was never seen again in the Mojave.

* * *

The first thing the Courier felt when he came to was grass, but it was grass unlike anything he had ever felt before. As he opened his eyes and painstakingly lifted his sore head, he found bright green grass underneath him. "This grass," He muttered in awe as he ran his fingers through the vegetation, marveling at how soft each blade felt. His other hand was pushing on the ground to support him and he was surprised to find the earth soft and moist.

Pushing himself up, he sat down on the ground, shivering as cool earth tickled his lower body through his thin black slacks. When he looked up he saw the sun and sky, but as he lowered his head his eyes widened in shock. In front of him were trees, not the shriveled up and dead ones that dotted the wasteland but living, green trees. There were probably hundreds just in front of him and below him a veritable sea of vibrant green grass.

The Courier kept looking around the new landscape in awe. He couldn't believe how beautiful and pristine the land was. "Is…is this heaven?" he asked himself. "There…there was an explosion after I killed those Jackal members. I ran, got caught in it, and now I'm here." He replayed the events back in his mind. "So I must be dead."

He slowly sat up, cracking and popping his sore joints and bones as he did. Looking behind him he saw more trees and grass, only this time there was a humongous cliff far behind the trees. "Those religious folk down at Freeside mentioned heaven was a marvelous place in the clouds, but there's nothing but plants around me. But then again no one would truly know what heaven looks like, so maybe they were entirely wrong."

"Maybe," he whispered. "Maybe they're here. M-maybe they're all here, waiting for me." He stood up and looked around but still he didn't see anything other than trees and grass. "Cass! Cass are you there?" He called out in hopes his old friend would find him. However nothing replied back. The Courier kept looking around despite the silence and kept calling out. "Boone? Boone? Boone you watching me through your scope or something huh?" The Courier joked. "Veronica? Miss Santangelo you out there? Y-you there?"

No response still. "Raul?" The Courier's voice called out in a smaller voice. "Raul y-you there or are you busy…busy fixing that old revolver of yours again? Hey Lily you, you hiding from me again? I told you I don't, don't like playing hide n' seek with you Lily."

Reality began to set in as the Courier's eyes started to tear up. "Arcade?" He whispered. "Arcade is you and your family here? If you are I'm sorry about…about…" He stopped spinning around. By now he was clearly crying with tears dripping off his face and his face scrunched up in sadness. "Rex?" he choked out between heavy sobs. "Rex?"

The Courier found his legs soften and he buckled down to his knees. His face covered his eyes in a vain attempt to stem the tears but they wouldn't stop. Twin rivers of despair flowed down his face and onto the grass below. "Anyone? I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry."

A few minutes later and the Courier finally stopped his crying. Wiping away his leftover tears he tried his best to compose himself, taking in deep breaths and relaxing his muscles. "Maybe…maybe they're far away somewhere," the Courier muttered.

**BEEP BEEP**

"What?" The Courier lifted his Pip-Boy and was shocked to find a warning flash across its menu screen. "'Warning! No Rob-Co satellite detected. Until a connection is established GPS navigation and updated maps cannot be tracked,'" read the Courier. He gave the Pip-Boy a few more command prompts and button presses until the message finally disappeared. Curious to see what other changes occurred, the Courier took the chance to analyze his inventory, only to find much of his equipment and supplies had disappeared.

"What the-?" The Courier muttered as he ran through his weapons list. "No, no this isn't possible!" He cried out as he scrolled through his available weapons again. Somehow the Pip-Boy had lost track of several of his weapons, including some of his most prized ones. Turning to his supplies and food he found almost all of his medicine and all of his food were simply gone from the Pip-Boy's memory banks. His bottle caps, his various keys, and worst of all his ammo were all gone as well.

"There, there must be an explanation for all of this." Cycling to his message folder the Courier found another recent message besides the warning he saw earlier.

_On August 25__th__, 2281 this Pip-Boy 3000 unit suffered from a system glitch originating from [outside energy disturbances]. If you the user have lost important files, stored messages, or digitized items please report to your nearest Rob-Co shop or call our service hotline at (Error: Unknown or Corrupted File) and inform us of your troubles. We hope you have a good day._

The Courier swore under his breath as he read the message a second time. "Damn it, that explosion did more than just kill me then. Better take stock just to see where I'm at."

Half an hour later and the Courier was marginally less pissed than he was before taking stock. Weapons wise he hadn't lost too many weapons. In total he had lost most of his guns which included his Riot Shotgun and Brush Gun and was left with his Ranger Sequoia Hunting Revolver, a gift from the NCR, and his powerful Anti-Material Rifle. His energy weapons for the most part were fine as he carried only a few. He still had his Tesla Cannon and the Gun Runner's special Flamer: the Cleansing Flame.

But the Courier was never really a marksman. He had always preferred close combat and his weapons reflected his style by consisting mainly of unarmed and melee weapons. His pair of fully upgraded Power Fists was intact and so was his pair of Ballistic Fists, Zap Gloves, and Displacer Gloves. His backup Brass and Spiked Knuckles were gone though. For his melee weapons however a few of his cherished ones disappeared. The Blade of the East, the infamous sword of the Legion's Legate Lanius, was now no more, so was the silver fire axe he jokingly named Knock-Knock he found in the irradiated Camp Searchlight. A lot more weapons were lost as well and all that was left now was his rusty Super Sledgehammer Oh Baby that he found near Jacobstown, the Nuka Breaker, a neon Nuka Cola sign that was solar powered, which the Gun Runners sold to him dirt cheap because it kept electrocuting their workers, a Thermic Lance he had taken from a Legionary Assassin, a Machete Gladius, two Combat Knives, and a fully upgraded Chainsaw also bought from the Gun Runners.

Supplies wise the Courier lost almost everything. Now he only had three Auto-Stimpaks, treasured and powerful medicine that could heal nearly any wound except repair lost limbs, one syringe of Auto-Med-X, a powerful pain killer, for emergencies, and two bottles of whiskey that he was saving to either drink or use as an antiseptic if need be. No repair kit, no medical bags, no food, no water, nothing. He lost all of his ammo as well, even the ones he had loaded into his gauntlets and guns; he figured the glitch had somehow mainly targeted all items labeled as ammunition and deleted them.

He only had one suit of armor, the Enclave Remnants' Tesla Armor Mk II, but the glitch had taken the helmet away from him to his dismay. Other than that he only had the clothes on his back.

"Damn," the Courier muttered to himself as he took his eyes away from his wrist. "I haven't been this low in supplies in months." He stretched out shoulders and gave a small sigh of relief. "At least my back feels a lot lighter."

Looking up the Courier was surprised to find night descending upon him. He was not only surprised at how suddenly nighttime came but also at the new noises that accompanied the growing darkness. Howls and hisses faintly echoed throughout the forest and now the Courier was pretty sure this land wasn't exactly paradise. The forests around him quickly became dark blotches and he could feel countless eye bore into him from between the trees and foliage.

"This place is too open," he noted. "I'll get seen immediately if the beasts or whatever that is that live here are as dangerous as the ones back in the wastes. I'll have to hide in the forest until daylight." His spoken thoughts were broken by his stomach rumbling and groaning for food and he frowned as he realized he was getting hungry. "Food will have to wait unfortunately," he said to himself, swallowing thick saliva. "Water would have to come first."

He gave a grim chuckle as he clicked on his Pip-Boy and equipped his Tesla Armor. "Heaven my ass."

* * *

For at least a few hours the Courier jogged in a straight line westward. He remembered to the south was the cliff so he would just be running into a dead end ultimately. He had no idea what the other three directions held but he would worry about his future travels later. For now it was a matter of surviving the night and finding water, clean, irradiated, or otherwise. But as he ran through the vegetation he found to his joy that many of the trees were bearing fruit. Of what nature the fruits were he couldn't tell because they were shrouded in darkness but he was glad that at least it meant food was plentiful here. Hell fruit itself was a luxury most wastelanders could only dream of and those fruits were usually heavily irradiated or dried. Here the land seemed to rich and fertile that the fruit would undoubtedly be safe and delicious.

He was only mildly annoyed that he hadn't found water yet. He didn't have the necessary items to collect condensation and eating the fruits and vegetation around him would be playing roulette of the deadliest nature. Even if everything looked edible and filled with water he couldn't chance anything until he had a properly stocked camp.

The forest itself was much larger than he expected and he was constantly at awe at how different it felt compared to the wasteland. For one he actually had to worry about what he was running into the entire time and more than once he would crash into a tree, his armor and momentum cracking the tree's trunk or break off pieces of bark. And every time he crashed he felt terrible guilt well up in him. Here he was in a strange, beautiful land and he was recklessly destroying nature. He was reminded of Jacobstown and the thin pine trees that dotted the former sky resort. When he visited he was so enthralled by the living trees that he would just sit and watch them collect snow on their branches or bend with the wind. Nature was something the Courier had long held in reverence and this land only made him love it more.

As the trees began to finally thin in numbers the Courier stopped once he reached a small clearing. Taking a small breather, he looked to his left and was confused to find a rock wall and a cave entrance. To his right and all around him were giant boulders scattered across the ground. The Courier narrowed his eyes, trying to figure out what had happened here.

"Something giant was here," he assumed as he pushed one of the smaller boulders with his foot. It didn't budge until he applied more pressure and barely pushed the boulder across the grass. "Something big enough to throw these boulders around easily. These are heavy boulders too." He gave another glance at the cave entrance. Normally the most dangerous thing the Courier could expect to live in a cave would be a Deathclaw, a monstrous and horned mutant that could kill an entire town of people without any effort. He had fought and killed many in close combat but every time he only won by the skin of his teeth. The Courier unconsciously rubbed his armor over his left ab, remembering the most recent Deathclaw scar he had gotten; his body was littered with dozens of them. In the years that he fought them he had grown to more or less respect the creatures. They were fearless and savage for sure with powerful claws and muscles that could slice through metal but still they were probably the most respectable creatures the Courier had ever fought and he learned to improve his own brawling style from studying them in battle.

But he had never seen a Deathclaw throw around Super Mutant sized rocks before. Whatever did was probably even stronger than a Deathclaw and that brought a twinge of fear down his spine.

"Hopefully it was chasing something smaller into this cave. If that's the case then I should be able to handle whatever's inside."

A few clicks later and the Courier turned on his Pip-Boy's flashlight and summoned Oh Baby which he slung over his shoulder with his right hand, using his left one to light the way. Holding his most powerful weapon gave the Courier a small dose of confidence but he tightened his grip on the hammer's shaft in preparation for the unknown.

Unlike most caves in the wasteland the interior was not dotted with radioactive and glowing mushrooms and other various fungi. It was as plain as a cave could get.

However a smile finally graced the Courier's face as his Pip-Boy illuminated a small pool of water. Putting his Super Sledge down for the moment, he waved his Pip-Boy above the water to test for any radiation, just to be safe. To his joy the built in Geiger counter did not click and there was nothing to stop him from drinking as much as he could. Sighing in relief and refreshment, the Courier wiped his mouth and smiled wider. This was probably the best water he had ever tasted, better than the bland and flat purified water every wastelander treasured and infinitely times better than the irradiated pools and lakes of the wastes; it tasted so cool and clear.

"This cave should serve nicely as a temporary shelter," the Courier whispered with a smile as he picked up his Super Sledge. "But the cave still goes on, quite a bit actually. I'll have to go through and clear it of anything dangerous before I make camp."

A few minutes later and the Courier found a rather large chamber. Bits of earth were stricken everywhere but other than that there wasn't anything else to note. Further into the cave the Courier found a slightly larger chamber. This time small clicks echoed throughout the room and as the Courier walked deeper into the chamber the clicking only intensified.

"What in the world? Sounds like pebbles hitting the ground or…or the feet of a Rad-"

**CRUNCH**

The Courier looked down and lowered his Pip-Boy light only to find a tiny puddle of red and black ooze peppered with white specks. Lifting his foot he found he had accidentally stepped on either a tiny lizard or a very big insect. However as his eyes darted around the lit ground he found the source of the clicking, dozens of small scorpions scurrying around the cave floor. The Courier's eyes widened in astonishment as the small black and white scorpions were nothing like the giant dark green Radscorpions of the wastes, scorpions that could grow to be larger than a car and armed with a tail that could spear through an entire human body and laced with deadly poison.

"Heh, they look pretty cute when they're as tiny as a tin can."

The Courier's musings were halted as suddenly faint thumps came from further in the cave. Unable to see what was coming the Courier could only tighten his drip on Oh Baby and shine his light down the cave to prepare for whatever was coming at him. As the thumping got louder the Courier spied a faint glow coming from the darkness and as it got closer he was shocked to find something golden floating towards him. However confusion turned to fright as the object slowly took the form of a huge scorpion stinger and the worst part was that it was about twice as large as a Giant Radscorpion's.

That was enough incentive to get the Courier sprinting out the cave though the thumping was not getting any softer. Somehow he was still faster and by the time he stepped foot outside the Courier had a moment to catch his breath and ready himself. A shrill shriek came from the cave as the giant scorpion finally made it outside, crashing through the cave entrance and scattering rubble everywhere. Lifting his Pip-Boy, the Courier's fear deepened as the light illuminated a scorpion that easily dwarfed even the most giant of Radscorpions. Its body was easily five or six times as big as a Giant Radscorpion and was encased for the most part in a white bone-like shell decorated with red markings though its legs and bottom were completely encased in black exoskeleton. Large white spikes adorned the top of its body and along its tail as an added form of defense. Its claws were easily the size of a car and had spikes on it as well. However near its large mandibles were a second set of smaller claws that were about as long and tall as a man and with no spikes attached. Between the two sets of claws were twelve bright orange eyes, some large and some small.

The nightmarish beast wasted no time attacking and charged right for the Courier with incredible speed, much faster than Courier had anticipated given its size. He could barely lower Oh Baby to block the scorpion's claw swing and was promptly sent flying through a nearby tree and into the one behind it. He barely dodged the falling tree and was instantly on the move again as the scorpion charged again. This time he was ready and managed to dodge several claw swings while backing up as much as he could. Spotting an opening the Courier brought Oh Baby to his side and smashed the Super Sledge into the scorpion's left claw, meeting the claw halfway during the scorpion's attack. He had hoped it would've been enough to break its claw but all it did was break off some of the claw's spikes. The beast ignored the blow entirely and grabbed the Courier with its right claw and squeezed.

The Courier could literally feel his Tesla Armor start to cave in as the claw tried to cut him in half. His hands immediately pushed against the claw but try as he might the Courier couldn't pry open the pinchers and watched in horror as the scorpion's clicking mandibles grew closer, ready to tear into his exposed head. Quickly he clicked on his Pip-Boy and unequipped Oh Baby and materialized his Machete Gladius out and stabbed the closest eye. Chunky orange ooze squirted out onto the grass and the beast screeched in pain, tossing the Courier away before he could pull his Machete Gladius out.

With his weapon stuck firmly in one of the scorpion's eye socket the Courier found the beast's weakness. Materializing his Combat Knives the Courier rushed to try to totally blind the scorpion only to be blocked by its claws. He was poised to stab when the makeshift shields flew in front of him and the knives shattered into pieces upon slamming into them.

"Damn," the Courier breathed out as he threw away the useless hilts. "That shell is hard as steel." He watched the scorpion charge again while covering its face with its four claws, opening them slightly so that it could see the Courier. Its stinger flew down ready to impale the man but he jumped back and charged again with Oh Baby again. He slammed it into the scorpion's left claw again and the beast responded with trying to push the man back with both claws.

Its efforts left it exposed and the Courier took his chance to get behind the scorpion's first set of claws. He ducked under the larger set of claws and now faced the scorpion's last pair. The second set then tried to grab the Courier but he was ready this time and jumped on top of the smaller claws and then onto scorpion's head. He barely avoided landing on the scorpion's back spikes and he had to stand awkwardly to avoid getting stabbed. After a few shaky moments he was able to stabilize his footing despite the spikes and the monster's smooth shell. He finally put Oh Baby to good use and hammered the scorpion's head several times. At first the Courier was horrified as the blows seemingly did nothing but grinned once he realized the scorpion was getting dizzy and fatigued with each successful blow, groaning and slightly swaying back and forth.

"Go! To! Hell!" the Courier screamed as he punctuated each word with a hard smash of his Super Sledge. But the beast only groaned in defiance and showed no signs of relenting.

* * *

Initiation went accordingly for Professor Ozpin and the rest of Beacon Academy. Despite protests that starting initiation on a Friday was a terrible idea he was glad that most of the students performed admirably. Glynda didn't seem to mind though, but then again she hardly showed any emotion other than slight annoyance.

The team ceremony went well too. Putting the young fifteen year old Ruby Rose as a team leader was certainly the highlight of the event as most were shocked that such a young girl would lead a team of other seventeen year olds. But he knew deep down that she would do an exceptional job and if not he would only have himself to blame.

He gave another, final sip of his coffee as he finished his thoughts. No use in speculating about the teams right now. It was too early and they haven't even moved into their dorms yet. The students were still sleeping in the ballroom since initiation severely tired everyone out and no one was in the mood to move their belongings after the ceremony.

"Professor Ozpin."

Said man turned around to find the ever stoic Glynda Goodwitch approaching him and he greeted her with a slight nod. "Yes? What is it?"

The blonde professor gave a small click with her tongue before taking out her gray Scroll and looking through it. "I know it's getting late but something rather strange has come up in the past few minutes." Ozpin eye's narrowed in thought as Glynda continued. "I was walking past the front gardens when I heard birds cawing in distress. Upon looking past the Beacon Cliffs I saw most were fleeing from deep within the Emerald Forest. I didn't see anything else, however it's easy to conclude that something was stirring up the Grimm," Glynda explained.

"Such a phenomenon is natural. What is going on Ms. Goodwitch that requires our immediate attention?" Ozpin asked.

Glynda's usual frown slightly deepened as she stopped her search. "That's what I thought as well. However upon checking our cameras I found something very disturbing." She handed her Scroll over and let the video play for Ozpin. "This footage was recorded approximately when I heard the commotion." He watched with slight boredom at first since the video was too dark to show anything, however his attention was renewed as he heard crashing noises.

To Ozpin's surprise a dark outline of what seemed to be a humanoid appeared into frame, back peddling away from something large enough to topple the falling trees. A golden stinger in the darkness signaled the presence of a Deathstalker and soon both entities began fighting each other.

Ozpin lifted his eyes away from the Scroll as he saw enough. "Are all the students accounted for?" He asked with urgency. Glynda nodded and Ozpin felt a small twinge of relief at the news. "Good. However, even if this person isn't associated with Beacon we cannot sit idly by. He or she stands no chance against a Deathstalker alone, I trust you'll be able to help and retrieve him or her."

Glynda gave a small nod as quickly ran out and headed towards the Emerald Forest. Ozpin gave a small sigh of exasperation. He knew Glynda was more than capable of protecting herself out there against the forces of Grimm. But as he continued to watch the video he grew increasingly worried about the unknown person.

However his fears grew into something more as he watched the person hold off the Deathstalker. It grew into confusion, curiosity, and wonder.

* * *

Unfortunately even in dizziness the Deathstalker was giving the Courier a hardy challenge. It started shaking and moving everywhere, crashing into and toppling over several trees, trying to shake him off. Its tail couldn't do anything either as the scorpion didn't dare risk stabbing and poisoning itself however. Only its smaller claws could effectively reach the Courier and with all the shaking the Courier soon lost his footing and found himself caught in its claws again. The smaller claws exerted much less pressure than its primary ones but the Courier didn't wait to test his armor against it. Instead he unequipped Oh Baby, grabbed his Machete Gladius, and pulled it out, spraying more orange blood everywhere. With a tight grip this time he stabbed four more eyes in rapid succession. Bloodcurdling shrieks followed each thrust along with more and more bloody chunks spilling out and forming a small puddle on the grass until the Deathstalker finally had enough.

With incredible strength the Deathstalker slammed the Courier onto the ground while shrieking in rage. He groaned in pain as he cratered into the soft dirt but grunted in panic as the scorpion's golden stinger jettisoned towards his torso.

He tried to block the stinger with his Machete Gladius but the stinger broke throughout it like it was paper and jabbed itself into the Courier's left breast. The Courier gave a wheezed gasp of pain as he grabbed the stinger and tried to pull it out. The damned thing didn't budge at all and was actually going deeper into the Courier's body. The Deathstalker's smaller claws also clamped around the Courier's armored thighs ensuring he couldn't somehow escape.

"Fuck," the impaled man wheezed out. "Damned bug is too strong. It's like I'm being stabbed by a streetlight." He could already feel blood welling up in his left lung and beginning to flow into his mouth. Moreover his muscles were starting to grow numb and swell up, no doubt from the Deathstalker's poison. Now it was just a race to see which of the three hazards could kill him first and none of them were being merciful about it.

However the beast decided to finish preparing the Courier and removed its tail, spraying crimson blood all over its shell and the Courier, leaving a fist sized hole overflowing with it. The Courier silently thanked the monster and sighed in relief as his Auto-Stimpaks began to work now that the tail was gone, otherwise his flesh would've just healed over it. In an instant the hole and everything else the tail went through was nearly healed up. The Courier still had to cough up a lot of blood to avoid drowning and in his fit didn't notice the Deathstalker's gaping maw getting closer to his face. When he did the Courier reacted fast and summoned whatever strength he had left to punch another of the beast's eye.

It clearly didn't expect the Courier to retaliate and so stumbled backwards shrieking in pain. Its claws let the Courier go and he took his chance to hopefully finish the battle.

"Now or never," the Courier said as he spat out another splash of blood, phlegm, and saliva. He was literally dying in the inside and it hurt just to breath and stand. The Auto-Med X kicked in and helped ease his wretched pain but wouldn't do anything to combat the poison. But the Deathstalker still took priority and the Courier had to finish it off quick.

He struggled to lift his arm and click his Pip-Boy and shakily held his newly equipped Thermic Lance. He grasped the long welding tool as best he could and powered its tip, superheating it. With a pained grunt he charged towards the monstrous bug and the Deathstalker responded in kind.

The Deathstalker had its claws up as shields again as it attacked with its golden stinger again. The Courier jumped back to allow the stinger to embed itself into the ground and quickly stabbed the Deathstalker's tail with his Thermic Lance. The heated rod easily burned through the small joint between the tail and the stinger. The Deathstalker screeched in agony as its prized weapon stayed stuck in the earth, flailing its newly cauterized and smoking tail everywhere and lowering its defenses.

The Courier forced his burning legs to sprint forward and he easily got behind the pained Deathstalker's front claws. It took everything that he had to lift and spear forward his Thermic Lance into the one of the Deathstalker's largest eyes. His knees buckled as he struggled to push the welding tool further into the beast's body all the while the Deathstalker was roaring in pain and struggling to coordinate all its limbs. Slowly the Lance dug into the Deathstalker inch by inch until nearly half of the rod was inside it. By that point the Courier was down on his knees and gasping hard, his head down and his arms growing limp.

He forced his head up and saw the Deathstalker finally still. Its tail now laid flat next to its right flank and all of its legs and claws had dropped to the ground. Its few intact eyes grew less bright until they were only a dull orange.

The Courier had no time to celebrate however as he could feel the Deathstalker's poison still course through his body, forcing his muscles to contract and burn. He shakily unequipped his Thermic Lance and tried to stand up. His knees failed him and he was forced onto the ground again. Turning around he spied the Deathstalker's stinger and tried his best to crawl to it.

'If I can extract its poison, maybe I can somehow find a way to make an antidote,' thought the dying Courier. He knew deep down the last rational part of his brain was telling him to just quit his struggling and accept death, but right now he was working on pure survival instincts and logic. He'd been through even worse situations and somehow still survived.

'Give up now,' the Courier's mind finally said to him as he finally reached the golden stinger. 'You may have survived two point blank headshots but that doesn't mean jack shit right now.'

He lifted his Pip-Boy to access his supplies but his shaky hand pressed the wrong button and suddenly the stinger vanished. He opened his heavy eyes to see that he had digitized the golden stinger. 'Look at that. Lady Luck isn't here to save you now.'

He lowered his head and started to take his last few breaths. By now air was the most expensive luxury and his body was growing poor fast. He closed his eyes and tried to block out as much pain as he could. As he did his mind wandered back into his memories, memories of his old friends and what everything he did in the last year. The battles he fought, the people he killed, and the people he lost.

'You don't deserve another chance,' the Courier's mind babbled on. 'You've earned all this, time to cash in.'

He took his last breath and begrudgingly agreed with his delusional brain. He let sleep embrace his mind and soul, ready for the great beyond.

* * *

Glynda's scowl grew larger with every passing minute. Five minutes have passed and she still hadn't made it to where the fight was even with her Aura and Glyphs pushing her as fast as they could. Her pessimistic mind told her to just head back and forget about the whole situation. Fighting a Deathstalker alone was akin to suicide and the person was almost guaranteed to be dead by now, so there was no point even looking.

However she still had a job to do as a professor and a huntress and if the worst came to be she would at least kill off a Deathstalker. Besides she had even bothered to grab an antidote kit from the Beacon hospital just in case the person did survive but needed aid.

Suddenly a loud screech pierced the relative silence, no doubt by the same Deathstalker. Glynda kept her fast pace, using her Glyphs to propel herself through the twisting maze of branches and fauna towards the sound.

Within moments she found a small clearing amidst many fallen trees. Bits of earth and tons of branches and leaves littered the ground but what stuck out the most were a few bits of steel among them. She had little time to wonder however as she rushed over towards a prone figure within the center of the mess. She kneeled down and flipped the person over. Her first thought of was one of shock as she realized not only was it a man, but a young one at that. Her second one was that he wore some ridiculously heavy armor.

She slapped his cheeks a few times but found they were rock hard and swollen, no doubt because of the Deathstalker poison. She quickly opened the antidote kit and readied a syringe full of bright yellow liquid. She pierced his throat and emptied it all into him and sighed in relief as the antidote went to work immediately. A few seconds later and the young man's body was stable again and he was breathing normally.

Glynda scrunched her nose as she put away the kit. A smell not so different from burnt flesh and tar wafted through the air. She found it coming from the dead Deathstalker but upon further examination she found herself slightly surprised.

The Deathstalker was of the Brood Mother variety and its large white spikes and second set of claws proved it. They were also slightly larger than most Deathstalkers, though she had no other specimen to compare it with right now. It's surprising to find one out in the open as Brood Mothers stay in dark caves to lay eggs and protect their spawn. She knew from the initiation footage that Team JNPR had killed a regular or Drone Deathstalker, so the presence of a Brood Mother in the forest was not out of the question. They were powerful and ferocious when it came to their young and Glynda assumed the young man had probably killed a few, most assuredly by accident as no sane man would dare anger a Brood Mother on purpose. While not the strongest Grimm or variant of Deathstalkers, for a young man to singlehandedly kill one was a nigh impossible task.

And what a kill it was. Several eyes were badly cut while one large one in particular had been burned through and still slightly smoking. No doubt that was where the horrible stench was coming from. As Glynda walked around the corpse she found its golden stinger was severed and missing. Several spikes had broken off as well.

She gave a small hum of approval as she returned to the now sleeping young man. He couldn't have been more than eighteen or nineteen years old judging by how young his faced looked. However the two circular scars on his forehead seemed to prove otherwise or that he's had an unforgiving youth. His brown hair was short and curly but was also a mess of dirt, leaves, and blood. His armor had a large hole in it and was soaked in blood, yet his torso was for the most part okay.

He had a peculiar device strapped to his wrist however. It was a small monitor with a few buttons of varying sizes on it. It had a flashlight on its end still on and a few knobs around the screen. The screen itself displayed in a dull amber color a simplistic drawing of a man in a jumpsuit. The little man was looking at a watch on his wrist and beneath him was the message _Pip-Boy 3000 now on Stand-By Mode. Press any button to access your personal data._

"Hmm," she hummed to herself. "Never seen a Scroll like this before…"

A chorus of howls and growls stopped her train of thought. She silently scolded herself for forgetting her assignment.

She picked him up with difficulty thanks to his armor and she took out her riding crop. She readied herself for the long trip back. The Grimm were already starting to rile up again now that the Brood Mother was dead and no doubt smelled all the blood on the young man. She had to make haste.

* * *

Ozpin was just as surprised as Glynda when she returned to his office with the young man in tow. He had just finished brewing another batch of coffee when they came in. He quickly got a large chair and sat the man on it. Glynda was tired and out of breath so she let Ozpin know firsthand how heavy the man was. Unsurprisingly Ozpin made it look easy to shoulder the young man over to the chair. She gave a huff of annoyance and took another seat, wanting desperately to rest her legs and Aura.

"He's younger than I expected," Ozpin noted as he examined the young man. "He doesn't look a day past nineteen."

"That's what I thought when I found him. There was no one else around though other than the Deathstalker Brood Mother's corpse."

Ozpin's eyes slightly widened at the news. "Indeed. I watched the battle on your Scroll. Thank you by the way Ms. Goodwitch," Ozpin thanked as he returned the portable device to her. "To kill a Brood Mother is no simple feat, especially for someone so young."

The elderly headmaster took a sip of his fresh coffee to clear his mind and put his mug down to get a better look at the sleeping young man. He note of his scars before he turned his attention to the device on his wrist. He raised an eyebrow at the picture but didn't say anything about it.

"I've never seen anything like it," Glynda remarked as she walked up to Ozpin. "Have you ever seen a Scroll like this professor?"

"I don't think it's a Scroll," Ozpin answered. He quickly pressed on of the large buttons beneath the screen and the Stand-By screen disappeared to show the jumpsuit man's body spread out. The screen now displayed medical information, showing limb and muscle conditions. Ozpin's eyes quickly blazed through the text with keen interest. The function was not unlike Beacon's medical scanners which were used to inform the medical staff the same thing for when injured students were brought in. He pressed the same button and this time the screen displayed hunger, hydration, and sleep meters. He was slightly worried when he read the declining hunger meter but he was more surprised at the sleep meter. It had a status box above it which had read _ASLEEP_ when Ozpin first accessed the screen.

But now it turned to _AWAKE_.

In an instant the young man's eyes shot open, giving the two professors their first look at his bloodshot and deep green eyes. He quickly rolled back, slamming the chair onto the floor and onto his feet. His hands balled into tight fists and he got into a boxing stance, ready for any sudden advancements or attacks.

Glynda took out her riding crop in defense as she watched the potentially dangerous man look around the room. Ozpin however casually picked up his mug and sipped his coffee.

"There's no need to be alarmed. We have no intention of harming you," Ozpin assured the young man.

The Courier felt a small amount of relief at hearing English and the amount of civility present in the elderly man's words. He didn't expect to find humans in this strange and dangerous land but that fact that he found English speaking people who didn't want to kill him on sight was very appreciated. He lowered his fists and relaxed his weary body.

"I'm sorry," the Courier apologized.

Ozpin gave Glynda a slight nod. She kept her slight glare on the young man and tucked her riding crop under her arm. "Please, sit."

The Courier nodded and walked over to the fallen chair. He casually lifted it as he walked around it and sat down. He took the time to thoroughly examine the first two people he's met in this world. The white haired man wore dark shaded glasses and a black suit and vest with a green undershirt and dark green pants. A dark green scarf was wrapped around his neck while in one hand rested a black cane with a silver top and in the other a mug with a gray symbol on it. Overall the man looked clean and scholarly, something he had seldom saw in the wasteland.

Looking over to the blonde woman he was transfixed by just how pristine and beautiful she looked. Far from the rugged and dirty everyday woman of the Mojave wasteland, this spectacle wearing blonde was a picture of middle-aged beauty. Her skin was milky white, her face blemish free, and her eyes a vibrant green. Her blonde hair was wrapped into a small bun with her bangs slightly curled. Teal earrings adorned her ears and a teal jewel decorated her collar. However as his eyes lowered he felt compelled to look away as her white suit exposed a good portion of top of her breasts. He quickly looked back to the man though from the corner of his eye he found her black business skirt and stockings complimented her torn purple and black cape well.

"I understand you must have many questions young man, but let's start with introductions. I am Professor Ozpin and to my right is Professor Goodwitch," Ozpin said.

The Courier's eyes narrowed in confusion at the man's words. What was his name? After his incident at Goodsprings he had totally forgotten his entire past, even his name. On his journey across the wasteland he had always just called himself a Courier since that was what his job was even before he was stuck six feet under. Most folks knew what a Courier was so they didn't bother asking further questions. Plus names meant little in a land where your new friend could just as well be dead the next day. People and names came and went and remembering them was seen a hassle by most.

But here he couldn't just tell them his name was "Courier," that was a ridiculous name. It was just a title though he was given many in the past year. He was called the Slayer of the Bull, the Champion of the Bear, and the Guardian of the Wastes among many others. But none of them constituted a name really.

'Then again there was that crazy old man I saved all those months back,' the Courier thought. The poor wastelander was dying of dehydration when the Courier came across him in an abandoned shack. He offered the man all the water he could afford and was thanked with complete gibberish. Apparently the old man had gone insane, a common fate for most wastelanders. The Courier didn't understand a single word the man had said to him but one word was repeated over and over. It was something the Courier had never deciphered after he had left the man, but it stuck with him throughout his travels. And compared to everything else's he's heard it was the closest to a name that something he could still identify with.

"Anim," the Courier replied. "My name is Anim."

"Just Anim?" Ozpin asked.

"Yes."

"Interesting," Ozpin whispered. "How old are you?"

"Eighteen."

It was a start at least. "Where are you from?"

"I'm not from here," Anim answered. "In fact I'm not even from this world."

Now the professors were really confused. Glynda gave Ozpin a sideways glance but Ozpin just shook his head at her. Anim's head showed no signs of damage according to his wrist device so there was little chance that he was suffering from amnesia. "What do you mean Mr. Anim?"

"Please," Anim said. "Just call me Anim. But to answer your question I am certain I'm not from this world. In fact this world is nothing like where I came from." Anim turned his eyes to Ozpin. "Just what is this place?"

Ozpin rubbed his chin in thought. This could all very well be an elaborate trick, even if the evidence demanded otherwise. However giving Anim a brief retelling of Remnant's history was still perfectly fine. He took out his own large gray Scroll, opened it, and looked for a world map. Anim eyed the device with curiosity until Ozpin turned his Scroll around to show Anim a map he had never seen before. "The world we are on is called Remnant. Long ago darkness covered the world and was inhabited by animals and creatures of darkness collectively known as Grimm. Mankind was born into this world and was soon hunted down by the Grimm. For ages mankind fought for its survival against the Grimm with great effort, nearly driven to the point of extinction. However mankind then discovered Dust."

Anim looked confused at the new name. Ozpin then motioned for Glynda to explain as he took another sip of his coffee. She stepped forward and reached around her back to pull out a vial of what seemed to be purple dust.

"Dust is a natural form of energy found within Remnant's earth. It's naturally found in crystal form however when grinded into a powder it is useable as fuel for machinery and weapons, ammunition, and for casting Glyphs," Glynda explained. "Many different types exist, each pertaining to a natural power or element. Red Dust begets fire, Blue begets water, Green begets lightening and so forth. It was this power that allowed mankind to turn the tide of war against the Grimm."

Anim nodded in understanding. Dust seemed like a universal energy source and wonder material for this world; much like nuclear power and electricity was for the wasteland. Ms. Goodwitch mentioned Glyphs which befuddled him, but it would be best to ask about that later. Weaponry was another thing he wanted to ask about since it seems as though it's as big a part of this world as it was the wasteland.

Ozpin gave Glynda a nod of thanks before he continued. "As Ms. Goodwitch said earlier, Dust saved mankind from extinction. With it we became the hunters and the Grimm the hunted. Mankind marched forward, clearing out lands to erect civilization. We built cities and towns as refuges, advanced our technology, and lived." Ozpin took another sip of his coffee and continued, though with a tinge of determination in his tone. "However mankind is still not safe from the Grimm. For every day the Grimm grow evermore stronger and numerous outside our sanctuaries. Every day we are attacked and hounded by the forces of darkness, driven further and further into ever shrinking pockets of land."

He moved to his right and, seeing him do so, Glynda moved to her left. As they did they revealed Ozpin's desk and the large white symbol carved into it. To Anim it looked like two crossed axes and two leaves below them.

"And every day we train and battle the Grimm as our ancestors did, as hunters and huntresses," Ozpin stated. "You are currently within Beacon Academy," Ozpin said as he motioned with his mug towards the symbol. "A combat facility designed to train young adults into humanity's next line of defenders. I am its headmaster and Professor Goodwitch is an instructor here. There are many other facilities like mine scattered across various lands and kingdoms. Beacon is situated in the kingdom of Vale and its city and dedicated to protecting mankind."

Anim's eyes glossed over as he absorbed everything he had learned. This world is truly different than his in almost every single way. In a sense they were both beautiful worlds, if the old photographs and books detailing the Old World were to be trusted, that were plagued with their own kind of poison. He replayed the first few minutes of his first hand introduction to the wilds of Remnant. The boundless life and energy of nature here still stole his breath every time he imagined it. But if the Grimm were to prevail, that beauty might just as well rot into something just like his world, a different wasteland where life would still struggle to survival.

"I assume that creature I fought was a Grimm?" Anim asked after a few moments of silence.

Glynda nodded, her perpetual frown intensifying. "A Deathstalker Brood Mother to be precise. To take one on by yourself was practically suicide-"

Ozpin quickly interrupted before Glynda began to scold the young man. "But you killed it and moreover survived." Glynda rolled her eyes at the headmaster. "Though you certainly didn't leave the battle unscathed."

Anim looked down and blushed in embarrassment. His armor was caked in dry blood and Deathstalker ichor. The hole where the stinger struck him in particular was especially bloody. "Sorry. I prefer fighting up close rather than shooting."

"Yes I saw you had a myriad of close range weapons that you used against it." Anim's eyes widened at Ozpin's remark.

"You watched me fight it?"

"I did yes," Ozpin admitted. "However I was watching it on Professor Goodwitch's Scroll which was recording your battle live from one of our many cameras in the Emerald Forest. She was the one who first checked the camera to see what was stirring up the Grimm in the forest and saw you fighting. I observed you through the live feed as Professor Goodwitch hurried over to aid you."

Anim quickly turned to the blonde professor and lowered his head in respect. "Thank you Professor Goodwitch for saving my life. I doubt I would've survived the Deathstalker's poison." Glynda gave Anim a faint nod in acknowledgement though her frown still persisted.

"As I was watching my concern wasn't so much on the poison but rather the stinger wound you sustained on your chest," Ozpin pointed out. "No man could've survived a wound like that and yet you somehow healed yourself, flesh and all."

"He did what?" Glynda asked as she faced the ever calm Ozpin. She hadn't had time to ponder about Anim's armor breach and blood but to find out he recovered from a Deathstalker sting was astonishing.

Ozpin ignored his colleague and continued. "Not only that you could materialize and disintegrate your weapons with a flash of light as a means to swap them out. Also your body withstood against the poison much longer than a normal man's." He walked up to Anim and lightly tapped his Pip-Boy with his cane. "And I believe the answer to all that lies in this device."

Anim sighed. There was no point in hiding anything from Ozpin if he saw the entire fight. "The device is called a Pip-Boy 3000. It was produced for Vault Dwellers as an advanced everyday tool to help manage personal information. It was the pinnacle of my world's technology as it could, as you said, materialize and store items among many other features." Anim gave a few clicks on his Pip-Boy and his armor quickly disappeared in a flash of amber light, leaving him in his usual attire. He wore run down, dirty leather shoes which matched his slightly torn black slacks. A leather belt drew a line between his slacks and his white collared shirt. A dusty and dirt streaked black suit covered his upper body as well. "Like that."

"Interesting," Ozpin noted. His mind was teeming with ideas about the Pip-Boy. "Is there-"

"I can't take it off," Anim answered quickly.

"Why is that?"

"Each Pip-Boy is personalized and is conditioned to be latched onto its user's wrist indefinitely. The old man who had given it to me somehow took it off himself, but so far I haven't the slightest clue on how to remove it without amputating something off. Ever since he gave it to me it's been stuck to my arm."

Ozpin was about to starting talking but Animcut him off again. "Hacking or tinkering with it in any way is also out of the question. From what I gathered Pip-Boys are notoriously difficult to hack and failed attempts would cause it to short circuit and crash, erasing all of its memory and software files. It's a failsafe designed to ensure all personal files would be kept secret. The hardware is very sensitive as well, which is why the outer cover is so strong and waterproof."

Ozpin narrowed his eyes and nodded. He kept his gaze centered on Anim's unmoving eyes, replaying his words, trying to detect if he told the truth. Ozpin was usually an excellent judge of character and his surroundings but Anim was an anomaly to say the least. Anim could've been an excellent liar for all he knew, but given he seemed genuinely shocked at what he and Glynda had told him so far. Perhaps what he said was indeed truthful. Shame, then there really was no way to safely study the Pip-Boy. Producing something like it would give all hunters a great advantage in battles. "And the healing?"

"That was my world's medicine at work," Anim said simply while the two adults' eyes widened. "I had two kinds on me after I was teleported here, Stimpaks and Med-X." He checked his Pip-Boy again but frowned afterwards. "The first one was what healed that hole in my chest. It was designed to auto-inject if my body suffered major damage and it took all the ones I had left to heal me up. My only Med-X acted as a pain killer. It stifled the pain long enough for me to finish it off."

Another new asset lost. At least Anim wasn't hiding any from them. "Teleported? Is that how you arrived?"

A quick recount of his first few hours on Remnant brought the two professors up to speed.

"That explains why you didn't use any firearms," Glynda concluded. "I suppose it was thanks to your own penchant for close combat that saved you."

"Tell me about your world Anim," Ozpin said. "I would very much like to hear about it."

Anim gave a low chuckle at Ozpin's optimism. "There is nothing to like about my world professor."

"Humor me then."

"It was once as beautiful and amazing as Remnant. There were massive cities that housed millions of people. Nature grew unshackled and as vibrant as your forests here. There were cars and planes, animals of all kinds, and amazing technology." Anim's eyes grew half-lidded and dark. "But then the bombs fell."

"Bombs?" Glynda asked.

"War," Ozpin concluded. "Am I right Anim?"

He nodded in reply. "Yeah. The Great War as people called it. Supposedly every nation on my world sent out nuclear bombs to destroy one another, though no one really knows why. Nuclear bombs rained down on my world like rain. The explosions and the subsequent radioactive fallout decimated almost all life on my world, Earth. What few plants and animals that survived rapidly mutated, growing into monstrosities similar to the Grimm here."

Glynda narrowed her eyes once Anim mentioned radiation. The phenomenon was only partially understood on Remnant. Several kinds of Dust expel radiation and were extremely dangerous. Most of these Dust could produce immense, unprecedented explosions and were classified by all the kingdoms and governments as life threateningly dangerous. Radiation testing however was a slow process and no one had any idea of what that kind of energy could produce. To hear that radiation could cause such horrific damage was frightening.

"In fact there were giant scorpions too, Radscorpions as we called them, that roamed the land. I fought many throughout my travels, got stung many times too. I guess my body grew resistant to their poison and that somehow translated over to slowing down Deathstalker poison."

It was a stretch for sure, that two separate creatures from two distinct worlds would share a similar poison. Ozpin pondered the idea for a moment before motioning Anim to continue.

"But humanity still survived, somehow. Some escaped the bombs and the first centuries of fallout by hiding in large underground communities called Vaults that sealed them off from the outside world and devastation. That's where the old man I mentioned earlier came from and supposedly every Vault inhabitant had a Pip-Boy, he gave me his. Anyway, others that survived the bombs on the surface grew mutated along with nature. Some grew into human-like, insane mutants. Others were still sane but were horribly disfigured by mutation. Slowly humans tried to squeeze out a life in the new wasteland, scavenging whatever weapons and food they could find to survive. This was the world I was born into."

"You don't look disfigured," Glynda remarked. "So are you not so heavily affected by the radiation?"

"Oh thank you professor," Anim smiled. "But to answer your question, yes. Only those exposed to huge amounts of radiation are mutated and their bodies heavily altered. People like me who stay away from radioactive material stay fine for the most part. All living things in the wasteland are irradiated. It's something we can't avoid. Our food, water, even the air we breathe is irradiated. Don't worry though, I don't have much in my body and it's not contagious in anyway."

Ozpin took another sip as he digested Anim's words. It sounded like hell to be honest. No doubt banditry, violence, and starvation were an everyday threat. To not be able to drink water or eat without worrying about whether it would kill you or not, it would be a horrible existence. Not to mention there were monsters on the same caliber as Grimm. "What a terrible world."

Glynda gave a curt nod while Anim licked his lips. He hadn't talked so much at once for a long time and he found himself thirsty afterwards. What's worst was that his hunger was making itself apparent again. Ozpin's perceptive eyes noticed instantly and he quickly excused himself out of his office, setting his cane and mug on his table. A minute later and he returned with another one of his mugs full of water and a bowl of assorted fruit which he handed over to Anim. "I noticed you were getting hungry and parched. I apologize, this was all I could find on such short notice."

Anim did his best to not chug all of his water before handing the mug back and grabbing an apple. He'd only seen a few out in the wastes but none of them looked as healthy as this one. He took a bite and marveled at the explosion of flavor and juice it yielded. As he took more and larger bites between gulps his eyes began to water. "T-thank you."

Glynda's frown softened a bit as she noticed Anim's unshed tears. "Are you okay Anim?"

Anim quickly rubbed his tears away with his sleeve and stopped eating to answer her. "It-it's just that. Just to have a bowl of fresh fruit…anyone back on Earth would've paid a fortune for this. And you just gave it to me for free, because I was simply hungry."

Ozpin and Glynda gave each other a surprised look before Anim continued. "This kind of food, this beautiful land," Anim pointed out as he finished his second apple. "Even if Remnant is plagued by Grimm, any wastelander would see this is place as paradise, as heaven." He looked back at the rest of the fruit and hastily stuck the bowl out towards Ozpin. "I-I can't eat anymore. I-I can't waste your food like this. I don't deserve this," Anim cried out, his head hung in guilt.

Ozpin said nothing and pushed the bowl back into Anim's lap. Anim's made no move to stop Ozpin and simply looked up at the man, tears flowing freely down his face. His mouth was slightly open in protest, but he found himself mute against Ozpin.

"There's no need to be sorry about eating," Ozpin said quietly. Anim's mouth quivered at the simple statement, his tears quickening as he realized the extent of these people's hospitality.

"Thank you." Anim slowly finished the rest of the fruit and handed the bowl back.

The entire time Glynda had her eyes on Ozpin, waiting for him to look at her with that sheepish grin. When he did she just nodded with annoyance and turned her head.

"Anim," Ozpin started as said man looked up from his Pip-Boy. "I have a proposition for you." Anim made no attempt to stop Ozpin so he continued. "From what you have told me I think it's pretty clear that you have no intention of returning to your world, even if we knew a way to send you back."

"Yeah," Anim chuckled. "I have no plans to return after what I've seen here."

"Even if you nearly died your first night here?"

"I've lived through worse. Besides I was unprepared."

Ozpin couldn't help but grin at Anim's slight boast. "I have no doubt. That is why I want to offer you a spot in Beacon Academy."

"Excuse me?"

"Would you like to be a student here at Beacon?" Ozpin simplified. "Would you like to train to be a hunter?"

Anim sat still at the question as he pondered the invitation. Some dark recess of his mind told him to say no and just leave. It told him he didn't deserve a third chance at life after all that he did. He didn't deserve to be whisked away into a fantasy world and live a life that would be envied by any and all wastelanders.

But at the same time his very being yearned to stay and help as best he could. It would be worse to just leave these people to fight when he could be alongside them, fighting against evil and saving lives. And this wasn't simply a perceived evil either like the Legion or the Great Khans were "evil" simply meant differences in ideas and cultures, but an absolute one dedicated to the eradication of all human life.

He glanced at a nearby window, imagining what lay beyond the night's darkness. He may not deserve better, but these people certainly don't deserve to die.

If he could help ensure humanity's survival here, then, then he could accept his fate here.

"I accept." Anim reached out with his hand and Ozpin didn't hesitate to shake it. "When do I start?"

"Tomorrow," Ozpin announced as he finished his coffee. "You're initiation begins tomorrow."

* * *

**Author's Notes: Any questions about the Fallout universe will be explained as the story progresses. I hope you enjoyed Anim's introduction to the world of RWBY.**


	2. Crimson Initiation

**Disclaimer: I don't own either the Fallout franchise or RWBY nor do I intend to make a profit off of this story.**

**BEEP BEEP**

* * *

Anim gasped loudly as he was thrust out his nightmare. His eyes darted around, scanning the dimly lit room for anything that moved. Tears of sweat rolled down his face as he realized this wasn't one of the rooms in the Hoover Dam. There were no Legionnaires rushing him, no NCR soldiers dying around him, no companions with him.

He wiped the sweat off his face as he controlled his breathing. Last night's dream was a vivid as all the other ones he's had in the past weeks. This one in particular dropped him back into the insides of the Dam, him and his companions racing through its metallic and concrete labyrinth trying to stop the Legion invasion. Bullets fly around them all, screams filled the bloody halls, and everyone was surrounded by death at all sides.

The Courier shuddered and choked out a sob as he remembered what had happened right before he woke up. They were in a large open room filled with the Dam's turbines and machinery. He and Boone were sniping Legion riflemen on the upper floors as their friends and NCR soldiers stormed the room. Boone had just gotten his fourth kill in the room and him his third when the explosions started. Out of the nowhere came Legion soldiers armed with grenades and grenade launchers, throwing and launching explosives at anything down below them. He and Boone instantly ran to safety when an explosion behind them threw them off their feet. His ears grew deaf but his eyes watered as he saw soldier after soldier cry out in agony as grenades rained down upon them.

A hand grabbed his shoulder and shoved on his feet and he ran as fast as he could. He called for his friends, but no one answered, not like he could hear them. But from the corner of his eye he saw Raul run towards him, revolver in hand with Cass right behind him. Both of them seemed okay and were screaming incoherently at him. His mind grew numb with sensory overload, the explosions, the noise, the pain, he just froze.

Another explosion shook his world as his tears began to flow freely. Afterwards the whole war slowly washed away as the explosions began to ring to a monotonous tune.

Anim turned off his alarm as he stood up from his makeshift mattress. He shook his head violently to stop the flashback and tried to focus on what had happened last night.

After the meeting with Ozpin, the headmaster had offered him a lecture hall as temporary sleeping quarters. Apparently the dorms weren't ready yet and the ballroom was filled to the brim with already initiated Beacon students. He accepted the offer graciously with a great smile.

He chuckled, remembering how confused Glynda seemed at his eagerness. If only she knew just what kind of hellholes and literal holes he's slept in before.

The two led him to a nearby lecture hall, a large one with cushioned seats, built in desks, and stairs descending down to blackboards. It seemed pretty lofty for a classroom but he wasn't about the turn his head away from a free mattress.

There was a shower room nearby which they pointed out before leaving. When he entered his eyes widened at just how clean and white the bathroom was and quickly started to indulge himself. Anim wasted no time in getting a few more drinks out of the room's pristine sinks. The water was pure and sweet just like all the other samples he's had so far in Remnant. He took a shower afterwards which was perhaps the greatest luxury any wastelander could've asked for. He didn't even bother washing himself in the first ten minutes of his shower. He felt spoiled as he let the gallons of hot water drench him, alleviating his pain and soreness. Hell they even had shampoo and body wash here, all free.

For thirty minutes Anim felt like a naked king in that shower, scrubbing off a weeks' worth of dirt and grime. He regretfully left once he realized he was starting to prune and just how much time he had wasted. There were free towels as well, freshly washed and folded ready for drying.

He frowned as he looked down at his attire. He had worn these clothes for a while now. He got the entire outfit as a gift from a NCR Caravan merchant for his heroism, though it took some convincing for him to accept it. He had always fancied suits and their soft silkiness though he'd never wore a tie before, those worked much better as rope or kindling.

For now they were dirty and a bit torn from his travels. His mind boggled at the possibility of washing it in an actual working washing machine here. He hadn't found one yet but given how advanced this world and academy he was confident they had them.

"These students live like millionaires here," Anim muttered, giving the soft chair one last squeeze. It was true though. Even the penthouses on the Strip don't hold a candle to what they have here. He checked his Pip-Boy and saw it was slightly after 7AM. "Professor Ozpin said to meet him at the front of the academy thirty minutes from now. Better get on that."

Leaving the lecture hall, he clicked his tongue in annoyance as he looked around. The hallway itself was beautiful with candelabras and chandeliers, but he had no idea which one was the exit.

Minutes later and the Courier had at least found his way outside. Unfortunately it didn't seem like the front of the academy. It was way too small for one and there was no signage or monument. A few wooden benches were placed around a small garden was all that greeted him. A cliff overseeing the Emerald Forest was opposite of him and more walls encircled the rest of the garden.

"No dice. Hopefully I can find Professor Goodwitch or someone who can point me in the right way."

He turned around swiftly and was ready to continue his fruitless searching until he saw something move from the corner of his eye. He instinctively raised his arms to activate his Pip-Boy, but lowered them once he remembered where he was. There shouldn't be any danger lurking about Beacon if people were as civilized as the two professors. Still, it couldn't hurt to see just exactly was hiding from him.

He calmed himself down and walked forward, stepping as softly as possible. As he entered the hallway he heard a brief, muffled gasp to his left. A closed door was all that separated him and the stranger.

"Excuse me?" Anim asked calmly. "Is someone in here?"

He opened the door and continued his questions. "If I could just bother you for just a mom-"

In a flash the stranger tried to blur past Anim. He was ready this time and body blocked the person, sending them down onto the floor with a surprised gasp.

"I'm so sorry about that," Anim apologized quickly as he saw the 7:20 flash on his Pip-Boy. "But can you help me with-"

"Please…please leave me alone." Anim looked up from his Pip-Boy and found a young woman on the ground. She was dressed in what looked like a uniform complete with a tie and skirt. Her long light brown hair cascaded down her shoulders as she looked up at him with unmasked fear. "I-I don't want any trouble."

Anim instantly forgot about the time and moved to help her up. She whimpered and shook her head, crawling backwards and trying to stand up to run again. "I'm sorry if I hurt you just now but I didn't mean to."

"Please…"

"Let me help you up. I promise I won't hurt you."

"You-you really mean that?" The girl asked as she stopped her escape attempt. Anim nodded as he kneeled next to her and offered his hand. She shifted her eyes from the hand to Anim's gentle grin, her mind racing to see if the human was being truthful or not.

She muttered a tiny thank you as she accepted the man's hand. As she stood up and dusted herself off both persons suddenly realized how drastically different they were from one another. For the girl she realized just how messy the man looked. His hair was a slight mess of brown curls and his suit was blotched with dried mud. If anything the man looked like he was homeless.

For Anim he was once entrance at how heavenly the women looked in Remnant. Her face was slightly pale but without a single scar or malformation in sight. Her dark brown eyes stared back into his green ones. However just above her eyes was a pair of slightly droopy rabbit ears. Both were slightly covered in brown fur but were undoubtedly rabbit ears. Rabbits were long extinct since the bombs dropped in his world, but a few nature magazines still had photos of the small furry mammals. The fact that he was facing a human-rabbit hybrid was perplexing to say the least, but not at all freaky. Hell compared to a Ghoul she looked downright normal.

"Nice ears."

The girl gave Anim a wide eyed stare as she replayed his words in her mind. Did this human just-? She was snapped out of her trance once Anim waved his hand in front of her face. "You okay?"

"Y-yes," she stuttered out, her face flushed from embarrassment. "Thank you for your help."

"No need for that," Anim rebutted. "I knocked you down in the first place. I don't deserve a thank you."

"Oh," the girl said as she gave Anim a confused look. He shrugged it off and reached out with his hand.

"How about we start over? I'm Anim. Pleased to meet you."

"I'm Velvet," Velvet replied quaintly as she gave Anim's hand a soft shake.

Anim's grin grew to a small smile, glad that Remnant's people were beyond civilized and polite. But as he lowered his hand his eyes caught the unwelcome sight of 7:24 displaying on his Pip-Boy. "Ah sh-shoot." Anim quickly caught himself before he swore. He didn't want to give Velvet an even worse first impression. "Do you know how to get to the front of the school from here? I have to meet Professor Ozpin there soon," Anim urgently asked.

Velvet nodded and ran towards the door where she had first escaped into to avoid Anim. "Just go down this hall, make a right, and when you reach a set of large doors just go through them and you'll reach the center courtyard." As Velvet turned around she was shocked to find Anim frowning and mumbling as he looked through his Pip-Boy. She tilted her head slightly in curiosity at the device before she realized he had stopped. "I-Is something wrong Anim?"

"Um," Anim said as his guilt ridden frown deepened. "Thank you very much for your help Velvet. But I don't have anything to repay you with."

"Oh it's alright," Velvet gasped as she held her hands up. "I was just helping. There's no need for-"

"Your ear is bruised."

Velvet's face flushed red as she grabbed said ear to hide it. One of the students yanked on it when she was walking to the cafeteria for breakfast, something about his team daring him to see if it was real or not. She nearly cried when his team tried to join him and pushed him off, running deeper into the school to lose them. "It's nothing Anim! Please, just go and forget about paying me back. I kind of have to go as well," Velvet said, hoping he would buy her excuse. But Anim wordlessly walked up to her. She whimpered as he carefully and softly took her wrists and lowered her arms. She closed her eyes and hoped that he would listen to her and leave, but all he did was just stand there. Suddenly she heard a large rip. She opened her eyes and saw Anim take something out of his slack's left pocket. Her eyes widened as she realized he had actually ripped out his entire pocket. "What, what are you doing?"

"I'm sorry Velvet," Anim simply replied as he covered the tip of the young woman's right ear, hiding the purplish bruise that was forming. "If had my old medicine with me I could do more for you, but this is all I can do for now." He finished his work by using a bit more of his slack's materials to lightly tie the pocket snug around the ear. "I'll find a better way to repay you later Velvet. I promise."

He gave her a reassuring grin and then sprinted off. The Faunas could only watch his back with eyes filled with wonder and gratitude. She herself then slowly walked to the garden and sat on a bench. Velvet sighed heavily as she stroked her sore ear.

"Thank you Anim," Velvet whispered into the wind. It was cool and relaxing and she found herself settling into the bench comfortably. Her ears perked up and her smile grew a tad bigger.

Somehow the world began to feel right.

* * *

"I don't understand why you take so long to get ready in the morning."

"And I don't understand why you're making such a big deal out of this you child."

"I am not a child Weiss! It's just that it's waffle day today and I'm hungry!"

"My point exactly."

Ruby grumbled as she turned her glaring silver eyes away from the heiress. Weiss could only roll her blue ones at her supposed leader's immaturity. A ghost of a smirk adorned her flawless face however as she inwardly chuckled at her verbal victory.

Behind her Yang was actually chuckling at the two's little argument. "She does have a point though Ruby. You don't hear any of us getting so excited about 'Waffle Day'!" Yang emphasized with her arms in the air. Her little sister dressed in red could only look at her with a surprised and betrayed look on her face.

"Yang! How could you take her side?' Ruby moaned. "I thought we were family."

"We are Ruby," Yang answered. "But sometimes your Big Sis just has to let you face reality. I can't help you fight all your battles."

"That doesn't mean you have to go against me too!" Ruby cried out only for it to become a gurgling groan for help as Yang gave her a bone crushing hug.

Weiss have an annoyed hum at the two sisters and tried to drown them out as she continued on her way towards the cafeteria. Granted they were slightly late for breakfast but it wasn't all her fault. For one it was located near the dorms, on the other side of the school away from the ballroom. And she didn't even take that long to prepare for the day. With great beauty came the patience to present it properly and if Ruby couldn't appreciate that then it's her own fault.

Besides her, Blake was trying to drown out the two screaming sisters as well. She had a small grin on her face though. The two sisters certainly brought excitement and fun with them wherever they went and it helped to make the day less mundane. Usually she would be nose deep in a novel but the weekend was supposed to be a time for the newly formed teams to get along and prepared for the incoming school year. While she was more than willing to get to know the other three girls better, they weren't making it any easier, especially Weiss. It seems as though Team RWBY still had a long way to go.

As Ruby and Yang's laughter subsided Blake's keen ears picked up on heavy footsteps. It took the others a few moments before they heard it and as they turned around they found a disheveled looking young man running out of the school. His short curly brown hair screamed "bed hair" with a few strands jutting out and his entire outfit was dirty and ripped. He was running fast however and didn't show any signs of fatigue as he quickly ran into the center of the school's front courtyard. He didn't even notice the four girls as he began to turn left and towards the outer rim of Beacon.

"What's he in a hurry for?" Yang pondered out loud.

Ruby and Blake shrugged as they kept their eyes on the young man. Weiss however gave him a quick once over and a snort of disapproval. "Is he even a student here? He looks like a lost homeless man."

"Maybe he's just had a bad morning?" Ruby asked. "I know the feeling."

"Oh please," Weiss remarked while Ruby groaned and frowned at the uncaring huntress.

"Whoever he is he's running straight towards Ozpin," Blake pointed out. The other three stopped in their tracks at the mention of Beacon's headmaster. They watched in curiosity as the man stopped in front of Ozpin and began talking to him.

"Do they know each other?"

"Ozpin's grinning at him."

"Well you have to give him some credit then. Ozpin never shows any emotion. He didn't even bat an eye when we were being flung into the forest," Yang pointed out, smiling as she remembered her little flight through the canopy.

Weiss still wasn't impressed. "Ugh, I can't believe he associates himself with a degenerate like that."

"Weiss!" Ruby cried. She couldn't believe how mean she was being to a stranger.

"I mean Ozpin is a legendary hunter and our headmaster. One would think he keeps better company," Weiss explained. Her explanation only fueled Ruby's anger and frustration and even caught the ire of Yang who was looking at her with a small frown. "What?"

"You know you really should be nicer Weiss. For all we know that guy could be a strong hunter like Ozpin," Yang said. "What if he was some amazing butt kicking, Grimm killing badass who just happens to have bad hygiene? I don't think you'll be insulting him then."

"I highly doubt that."

"Why?" Ruby asked mockingly. "Because he's not like you Miss Perfect?"

"Stop calling me that!" Weiss scolded.

Before the two could get into another heated argument Blake piped up again. "They're leaving." She pointed out as the two men began to walk towards the airship landing zone.

A large rumble grabbed the team's attention afterwards as Ruby clutched her stomach. "Argh! So hungry!" She moaned.

Yang chuckled and started walking to the cafeteria again. "We should too guys. Otherwise Ruby might starve to death before she could even start school." Weiss and Blake wordlessly followed with the former with a scowl and the latter wondering about the stranger.

* * *

"Are you enjoying your breakfast Anim?"

Anim could only cry and nod as he finished the last of his waffles. He had heard about such delicacies back on Earth, but to eat fresh ones with warm, rich, red syrup was like eating ambrosia.

'Veronica would've loved this,' Anim thought as he placed his plate and utensils down next to him. 'She always loved sweets-stop it. Don't think about, about that now. Just focus on the day ahead of you.'

Ozpin only raised his eyebrow at the boy's tears. To find a man who would cry at eating the simplest of meals was, unnerving to say the least. "Milk?" He asked as he held up a glass of the white liquid.

Anim accepted and tried his best not to gulp it all down. Fresh tears flowed down his cheeks again as he savored the sweet, creamy drink. Brahmin milk tasted like piss compared to this.

"S-so good," Anim choked out as he handed the glass back to Ozpin. "I'm, I'm sorry professor. I must look ridiculous to you."

Ozpin shook his head as he handed Anim a napkin to wipe his face. "It's quite alright Anim. Though I suggest you control yourself at school. Your, unique response to our food might unnerve some of the students."

Anim nodded.

"Also it's very unbecoming of a grown man and hunter," Ozpin added as he sipped his coffee.

"Hey!" Anim remarked as he narrowed his eyes, half in anger and half in embarrassment. "If you ate what I ate on a daily basis back on Earth you'll probably cry at this kind of food as well." He could mind the simple joke now and then but nourishment should never be joked about. Food and water meant life, the simplest equation in existence. To be able to solve that daily problem was a blessing. To be able to do so and to indulge in it, then crying was allowed.

"Of that I have no doubt Anim," Ozpin concurred. He took another sip and glanced outside the airship's window. They were headed to Forever Fall for Anim's initiation. The forest was small enough to allow for a single student to retrieve an artifact without being swarmed by Grimm. The Emerald Forest would've been too much for Anim as the large forest housed an abundance of Grimm, making it unlikely for one student to pass initiation alive. That is why Forever Fall was used instead in cases where extra students entered Beacon late. Anim wasn't the first extra attendee in Beacon's history after all and protocols had been created for such an event. "Are you ready?"

"I am," Anim answered with confidence.

"I must admit," Ozpin said as he felt the airship begin to touchdown. "I was surprised you had agreed to immediately begin initiation. You don't need ammunition or any other supplies?"

Anim merely shrugged as he followed the headmaster out the rear end of the airship. He's faced off against worst odds before. His eyes widened t the sheer amount of red and maroon he saw. The forest before them was beautiful to say the least. The ground was covered in a thick layer of red leaves and the sight breeze blew them out of the tops of the equally red trees. He took a whiff of the air as he took a few steps further towards Forever Fall. The air was fresh and cool from the morning and a sweet smell lingered throughout the area. "Wow, amazing."

"Do not be deceived by its beauty Anim," Ozpin warned behind him. "You know full well what hides within it." Anim turned around and gave a small nod of acknowledgement. He was the last person Ozpin needed to warn.

"So what's my task professor?" Anim asked as he gave another quizzical glance at the gray airship behind Ozpin. It was not too unlike the Vertibirds back in the Wasteland; same overall size and round shape, but missing the spinning blades of a Vertibird. It was instead propelled by jet propulsion not unlike the hovering mechanism Mr. Gutsys and Mr. Handys used.

"Your task is to go deep within the Forever Fall forest and retrieve a relic. Once you have, you are to return here alive with the relic."

"That's it?" Sounded rather simple. Much simpler than the sort of missions the NCR assigned him.

"That's all Anim," Ozpin repeated.

"Any indicator of where the relics are at or what they are?"

"There will be a clearing. You will know it when you see it."

Anim scratched his head at the cryptic message. Nevertheless he gave Ozpin a curt nod and a thank you for the breakfast before checking his Pip-Boy one more time. Happy with his inventory, Anim turned around and departed towards the forest.

Ozpin only hummed in thought as he watched Anim disappear into the red foliage. Taking his Scroll out he accessed Beacon's cameras and began to link the footage with Glynda's. He smirked as the connection was set and walked back into the airship. There was nothing to do now but to see how Anim handled himself in broad daylight.

* * *

"-and that's why she's extra hyper today."

Ren could only give a tired sigh as he struggled to keep his arm in his socket as his hyperactive partner kept pulling on it and skipping ahead of the group. Nora had basically drunk an entire bottle of red syrup at breakfast and her sugar high was showing no signs of crashing just yet. Granted it was only half an hour after the fact but Ren's arm was seriously hurting now.

Professor Goodwitch had called for an important assembly for the first year hunters and huntresses over the intercom after breakfast. Both Team RWBY and Team JNPR were currently walking to said assembly over at the amphitheater as they had met up during breakfast.

Pyrrha only giggled as she watched Red and Nora. To her left Jaune was trying his best to calm Nora down but the orange haired girl only laughed harder at his futile attempts.

"What do you think this assembly is about?" Blake asked as she and the rest of Team RWBY tried to drown out Nora.

"Does it really matter? I just want to unpack and move into our dorm," Weiss replied. Ruby and Yang only nodded in agreement. Their stuff was still back in the ballroom and they were getting tired of sleeping on the floor. Real beds sounded nice. "Let's just hope it's a quick one."

"Let's just hope Nora can keep still for the assembly first," Jaune answered as he gave up on his team member. Ren only gave his team leader and Pyrrha a pleading, scared look to which they only nervously apologized. "Sorry Ren. But she is not letting go of your arm."

"Please," Ren pleaded to his partner. "Nora, my arm is starting to get numb."

"Woohoo! Assembly!" Nora replied as she grabbed Ren's arm with both hands and began to run towards the amphitheater. Her partner could only grab onto her for dear life as she made her beeline.

"Wait! Nora!" Pyrrha yelled as she and Jaune raced after them.

"Yeah wait!" Jaune yelled. "You're going to pull his arm off like that! Hey! As your team leader I order you to-" Jaune and Pyrrha's eyes widened in horror as Nora jumped over a group of students, Ren behind her with a look of terror plastered onto his normally stoic face. "That's the opposite of what I was going to tell you! Nora!"

Behind was the still walking Team RWBY who only watched the other team's antics as they kept their pace. Ruby had a worried look on her face while Weiss watched impassively. Blake growled in annoyance as her partner was laughing up a storm behind her, the loud noise deeply aggravating her.

"You think they'll be fine?" Ruby asked to no one in particular. "Maybe we should help them out."

"And possibly get in trouble?" Weiss asked, astonished Ruby would suggest such a thing. "Never, besides I think they can manage."

"Jaune!" The four girls perked up as they heard Pyrrha yell in front of them. "I think I see Ren's hand turning blue!"

"Ah!' Jaune yelped in reply. "Ren! Hold on!"

"Assembly!"

"Or maybe not."

A few minutes later and Team JNPR somehow managed to get Nora to stand still and let go of Ren. Team RWBY met up with them as well and the eight of them stood at the back of the room, amongst the first year students and waited for the assembly to start. Moments later and Professor Goodwitch walked up the stage and behind her a large floating screen. She cleared her throat in annoyance to quiet the crowd before starting.

"I understand you all are wondering why you were called here on such short notice," Glynda said as she opened her Scroll. "The answer is that yesterday Beacon had a student who arrived after initiation."

Murmurs sprouted up throughout the crowd though the blonde professor gave a harsh glare to quiet them. "He is currently undergoing a special initiation meant for one student as we speak in the Forever Fall forest. How all of this pertains to you all is simple. He will be added to one of the new teams as a fifth member."

"A fifth member?" Weiss asked. "Wouldn't that give that team an advantage?"

"Whichever team is chosen will also be expected to complete team assignments, missions, and combat training at a higher level than that of four member teams."

"Well that answers that," Yang quipped.

Weiss scoffed and crossed her arms, not excited at the prospect of more work and perhaps another annoying teammate. "Figures."

"Hey maybe our team will get the fifth guy," Ruby speculated. She was met with an icy glare from Weiss which promptly made her shut up and listen to Professor Goodwitch again.

"I must inform you however that the new student is...unique. He is not from Vale, or even Remnant for that matter."

"Wait what?" Jaune asked loudly, echoing the same question on every other student's mind. "So is he like, an alien or something?" Even Ren mouthed the words as he grew confused at the professor's words.

"An alien?" Nora, Ruby and Yang cried out in wonder. "That's awesome!"

"No it's not you dunces!" Weiss argued, surprised that her teammates were getting so excited. "He could be dangerous for all we know. He might be some horrible freak of nature that could kill all of us."

Pyrrha's eyes narrowed in slight anger at the heiress's words. "Weiss that is a terrible thing to say. You don't even know who he is and you're already throwing out such horrible accusations."

"He might be just like us for all we know," Blake added, her own eyes reflecting her anger at her teammate. "Plus I doubt Ozpin would accept a person like that into Beacon. I'm sure he's perceptive enough to see if someone would be dangerous."

"Hmph," Weiss scoffed as she focused her attention back to Goodwitch, unhappy that she was being outvoted. "Fine, believe whatever you want. But I still say he shouldn't be here."

"Because of this it is important that all of you are here to observe his initiation." Professor Goodwitch then turned on the screen next her and connected the Forever Fall's camera's live feed onto it. "He has distinct technology we have never seen before. And since he will be with one of your teams for the next four years, it is important that you understand his fighting style and his abilities in the event that he joins your team."

The screen flickered to life and instantly the entire first year class at Beacon got their first glance at the new student. However they camera caught him at a rather interesting time.

Everyone had mixed reactions.

"He looks pretty human to me," Ren noticed. "Doesn't look like a Faunas either."

"Ooh! He has pretty green eyes," Nora pointed out. "Like yours Pyrrha. His clothes are pretty dirty though."

"Well I can't say I approve of his time management," Pyrrha replied as she watched the man with disapproval and concern. "He's supposed to be searching for a relic, not picking apples. Plus there might be Grimm nearby. He needs to be on his guard."

"Well, maybe he's hungry," Jaune defended. "I mean, what if he didn't have breakfast yet? I know I get pretty sidetracked if I don't have breakfast. Wait do aliens have breakfast? Do they eat all? Oh wait, he's definitely eating it. He looks pretty happy too."

"Well he shouldn't be eating during initiation," Pyrrha remarked. She turned to the four girls next her and was confused at their shocked reactions to the video. "Um, are you four okay?"

"Yang," Ruby called out. Her eyes were glued to the video but her fingers were poking her blonde sister's shoulder. "Doesn't that guy look familiar?"

"I think we know exactly who he is," Blake answered for her partner. The dirty clothes, the hair, it was all coming together.

"That's who the new student is?" Weiss screamed in horrid realization. Of all the people and things she had expected, this degenerate was certainly not at the top of her list.

"What did I tell you Weiss?" Yang boasted as she smiled at the video. Up close, he looked pretty cute. "He's a cutie too."

"Ugh! How could you compliment him like that so easily?"

"What? I calls it like I sees it."

"Wait, look."

Everyone watched as the man bunched up a ton of apples in his arms and then clicked on a strange device that he had strapped to his left wrist. Then a flash of light engulfed the apples and then they all disappeared into nothingness. And then he just picked another apple and went along his way like nothing had happened.

"Wha?" Pyrrha droned, her mouth open in astonishment. Weiss had no words to offer as she watched the man carry on walking into the forest, her jaw dropping as well.

"That. Is .So. Cool!" Ruby and Nora screamed in unison with stars in their eyes. "It's like some sort of magic trick!"

Even Blake was surprised at the spectacle and her usually emotionless face harbored a slightly dropped jaw as well. Ren's only reaction was to widen his eyes which still said a lot about what he was feeling.

Yang's eyes were brightly lit and her mouth a great big smile. "That is the coolest alien I've ever seen!"

Weiss didn't even bother to correct Yang's comment.

* * *

Anim was having the time of his life. He hadn't walked ten minutes into the forest and already he found an apple tree bearing tons of the lovely red fruit. He couldn't contain his joy as he quickly stuck one into his mouth, enjoying its crisp flesh and sweet juices. Finishing it, he quickly picked some more until his hands and arms were full of them and transferred them into his Pip-Boy to be eaten later.

"Man," Anim said as he grabbed one last apple before walking way. "I can't believe how amazing this place is." He stopped after a few more steps and looked around. The forest was fairly dense and all around him there were no signs of any sort of clearing. "But I really should get to finding that relic. Better find a good vantage point."

Spotting a rather tall tree, Anim quickly jumped onto the nearest branch and began to climb to the top. Like a skilled acrobat he maneuvered his way from branch to branch, apple still in hand, until he nearly reached the top. Finding a stable branch overlooking the forest, he sat down and stuck the apple his mouth, lightly biting it and sucking out its juice.

He sighed in relaxation as he enjoyed the view and his snack. His stomach was content and the sun was beaming down on him, bathing him in glorious light. He looked down on his hands and was happy to find them healthily absorbing the sun's rays. He would need all the energy he could get. He just had to come to Remnant at night yesterday, when his strength was at its lowest. Today, under the bright sun, he was more than ready for a fight.

'Such a beautiful forest,' Anim thought as he scanned for a clearing. 'Rex would've loved running around here, rolling around in the leaves.' He inwardly sighed. 'I miss you boy.'

Turning to his far right he found what appeared to be a small opening within the sea of red trees. 'Best lead I have so far. Might as well check it out.' He quickly scaled down the tree and walked briskly towards the clearing. 'No reason to not enjoy the scenery. Shouldn't take long to reach it anyway.'

Finally taking bites out of his apple, the Courier walked for several minutes in a straight line. For a while he nearly forgot he was even in an initiation. Just watching the trees bend with the breeze, leaves fluttering incessantly everywhere, basking under the sunlight, he didn't have a care in the world.

However just as he finished his apple and was about to throw away the core he heard a low growl coming from his right. Core in hand, he walked towards the sound, curious as to what had made it. In the distance however he heard faint howls, dogs or something like that no doubt. No matter, they were too far to be a threat to him right now.

"Woah," Anim mumbled as he found the source of the noise. In front of him was a large creature focused on a small tree. Its back was covered with bits of white armor and spikes. Black fur covered its entire body and it was slightly bigger than a car. As he approached it he heard soft licking and snorts coming from the beast. "Huh, is it a Grimm?"

The Grimm did not notice Anim's presence and once it was finished with the tree it swatted it down with one large imposing paw. It moved on to another tree and sliced its trunk. From it came a slow waterfall of red sap and it bent over to lap it up greedily.

"Hey!" Anim's eyes narrowed in anger as he watched the Grimm casually defile the tree. He strode over to it and palmed its trunk. His muscles strained to lift the relatively large tree but after a minute he lifted the tree up and pushed it back into its original position. He patted the tree to ensure it was rooted down well and he stamped the earth around its base to keep the tree balanced and stable. "Hey! I'm talking to you!" Anim roared as he finished replanting the tree.

The large beast didn't even acknowledge Anim's anger and kept on licking at the sap. The Courier responded by throwing his apple core at the Grimm's back which finally caught its attention. Giving a loud growl, it turned around and faced its aggressor. Its white and red masked face gleamed under the late morning sun, its orange red eyes glared at the small human in front of it. It stood on its armored hind legs, baring its large pearly fangs and wicked claws.

Anim stood his ground though, not showing any fear or surprise at how dangerous the Grimm in front of him seemed. He'd fought something like it before, a Yao Guai as someone called it. Exceptionally rare in the Mohjave, it was a mutated bear creature with beady eyes and patched black fur all over it. They were tiny compared to this thing, but were ferocious and tenacious creatures. Nevertheless he wasn't afraid of them then, and he found the large bear in front of him more adorable than frightening.

"Who do you think you are? Toppling trees like that?"

* * *

Weiss watched slack jawed at the man's yelling. He was facing off against an Ursa Major by choice, close enough for it to lunge forward and kill him. One swipe of its claw and he'll just be painting his own shade of red all over the Forever Fall ground if he wasn't careful. He didn't even look fazed by the thing "Who the hell chooses to aggravate an Ursa Major? And for toppling a tree? How moronic! There are literally thousands around him." She scoffed and pinched the bridge of her nose, incredulous at the sheer stupidity of it all.

"Forget that," Yang said loudly, raising her voice to combat against rising murmurs of the crowd. "Did you see him pick up that tree? With one hand?" She looked to her right and quickly flexed her own arm. The blonde had always valued her strength and sheer power ever since she was a child. Back at Signal she was unmatched in that category, her kickboxing skills trumping everyone else's fighting style through sheer brute force coupled with her agility. Now it seems like he was giving her a run for her money. She slightly frowned at her bicep. She probably could push up a fallen tree, but to see him do so nearly effortlessly…

Jaune could only nod and agree with Yang's amazement. "Man, I wish I was that strong." He looked down at his body, self-conscious and sad that he had no amazing strength to be proud of. Pyrrha gave him a gentle smile and squeezed his shoulder, trying her best to cheer him up. He gave her a sad grin before going back to watching.

"I don't think he should wrestle barehanded with that Ursa though," Ruby suggested as she watched the Ursa Major begin to charge forward and swing its claws at the man. "I mean he could but…" She winced slightly as a missed swipe broke a nearby tree clean in two. "…but I wouldn't recommend that."

Pyrrha was starting to grow more concerned as well. "Ruby's right. Where are his weapons? He doesn't look even remotely ready for combat." But just as she finished the man clicked on his wrist device again and this time his body was enveloped in light. A second later and he was encased in a suit of black armor covered in red and black blood with a hole in it. "What in the world? How?"

"It's that device!" Blake proclaimed, figuring out what was happening. "It's somehow allowing him to instantly equip and store items. That's what happened earlier."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive, the apples were covered in the same colored light. It can't be a coincidence."

"Then," Pyrrha asked in confusion. "Where does he store all of his equipment?"

Blake could only shrug. She was too focused on the fight to think of an explanation. "Whatever it is that he's doing, hopefully he has a weapon to defend himself with."

* * *

A few minutes of dodging the angry Ursa Major only proved Anim's theory of the creature. It was large and tough, but it was rather slow compared to a Yao Guai. The broken trees around him promised a swift death if he got caught by its claws, so it was much more powerful than a Yao Guai could've possibly aspired to be.

With his armor equipped he felt much more comfortable jumping and running around the creature. 'I'm wasting time,' Anim thought as he jump away from a downwards swipe. The Ursa Major's claw smashed into the ground, digging deep into the soft dirt and shooting up fallen leaves everywhere. 'I need to finish this fast.'

He clicked his Pip-Boy again and readied his Thermic Lance. However the second he took it out the horrific smell of burned Deathstalker flesh and ichor flooded the forest air. The burned black specks on the Lance were still smoking in fact. 'Well that's what digitization does. Time becomes irrelevant,' Anim thought as the Grimm cringed as it smelled the air. 'Hope it still works.'

He grinned as the Lance clicked to life as he held the trigger down. Its unsuspecting black tip superheated and burned through the remaining wet ichor. The Ursa Major only growled at the intense smell and charged forward again. It ran forward on its hind legs and readied its left arm to cleave the man in half. Anim held his ground and jabbed the Lance forward. It burned into the Grimm's left shoulder as he attempted to halt the attack. Standing back up and roaring in pain, the Ursa Major couldn't do anything but stop and watch in anger as the Thermic Lance speared through its shoulder out the back, cauterizing the wound and sending wisps of smoke into the air.

But as Anim readied to pull it out the Ursa Major slammed its right claw into the rod as its left arm was made useless. The sudden counter smashed the rod into pieces, though its front was still embedded into the Grimm.

Anim growled back at the beast as he threw what little was left of his broken weapon to the side. Chunks of metal and other materials were spread all over the forest floor and he dropped his broken handle to join them. "Damn, I really liked that Thermic Lance too." Another click of his Pip-Boy and he brought out his Nuka Breaker. The old rusted sign for his old world soda flickered and sparked as its battery absorbed the sun's rays. Its stylized words lit up brightly and a few sparks flew from cracks in its ruby red rectangular box. He was careful to hold onto the taped part of its handle though; otherwise he would be faced with a life threatening jolt of electricity. "But I like my Nuka Breaker more."

Anim decided to go on the offensive and charged forward. The Ursa Major responded in kind, albeit slower as its left arm couldn't move anymore. Using its remaining three limbs the towering Grimm reared back once it was close enough to give a horizontal swipe to which Anim rolled under. It crashed forward onto the ground thanks to its unchecked momentum and roared in frustration. Before it could push itself off the ground Anim ran over and slammed the sign into the Ursa Major's left flank. The sheer force of the hit flipped the crippled Grimm onto its back, its large back spikes digging into the soft dirt, rooting it in place essentially. The blow had also sent a major surge of electricity through its body and left a singed, burnt imprint on its side. Unfortunately for Anim, the voltage was not enough to kill the beast.

The creature of darkness groaned in agony as it tried in vain to flip itself back over. Anim gave a big sigh of relief that the battle was practically over by now. He lifted his Nuka Breaker from the ground and walked over to the nearly dead Ursa Major and onto its stomach. It gave a small wave of its claw in a feeble attempt to push him off but he just kicked it away. Not giving the Grimm another attempt, he gripped the Nuka Breaker with both hands and aimed it at the beast's throat. Then he thrust the sign down with a resounding crack, the blow crushing the Ursa Major's trachea and sending thousands of volts of electricity through its body. Anim kept it there for a few moments before the smell of burning flesh and fur grew too much to handle. Blocking out the smell, he jumped off and digitized his weapon.

A chorus of louder howls reached his ears not a moment after he finished the kill.

'Howls again, no doubt something is up,' Anim realized as he wiped away some sweat off his forehead. 'It got too loud too quickly. A pack of some sort is definitely chasing me. And the smells and sounds coming from here won't do anything to hide me.' He quickly turned and made way for the clearing again, running and swerving around the trees and bushes. 'I can't get caught in the forest. I'll be cornered and trapped by the trees. Best to make for the clearing and face them there on equal footing. I doubt I can outrun these things anyway.'

* * *

"Two weapons huh?" Nora pondered as she rocked back and forth. "Wonder where he keeps all of them. The light show is pretty but, where do they all go?"

"I don't know Nora," Ren replied. "But I'm certain we haven't seen the rest of his weapons yet. If he can materialize weapons like that, then there is no doubt that he has much more ready for use."

"He took down that Ursa Major pretty well though," Ruby pointed out as everyone nodded. "Even you have to acknowledge that Weiss."

"Whatever," Weiss muttered under breath, her eyes still on the screen.

"Interesting weapon choice," Blake said. "A large rod that could burn through flesh and an electric sign. Not exactly what I had expected."

"Yeah it's nothing like our own," Ruby agreed. "His weapons doesn't even have foldable frames or even double as guns." She quickly looked over Jaune sheepishly. "Sorry Jaune."

"It's okay," Jaune reassured. "My Crocea Mors may not be as fancy as your guys' weapons, or can turn into a gun, but…uh…"

"It's a classic."

"Yeah. A classic."

Ruby still gave the blonde knight a forced smile and a thumbs up before she looked away, not wanting to show her slight disappointment at his weaponry. "But his weapons look old and worn down. That rod thing of his was smashed into pieces from a single hit and all of our weapons could stand up to much more than that."

"I noticed that too," Weiss piped up. Both teams gave her a questioning look, hearing what she had to say. "Not only that Ruby, but that sign he was using was emitting sparks all over the place. No doubt its frame was falling apart and its wiring failing. Also each weapon's condition was terrible to say the least. That heat rod of his looked burned and crooked before that Ursa Major shattered it. And that sign had rust all over it. I'm surprised it didn't break either honestly."

"That sign was pretty cool though," Yang admitted as she caught a quick glance of the man still running through the forest. "It electrocuted that Ursa and totally stunned it. Hell it even burned it."

"It's a hazard," Weiss retorted. "Didn't you see the tape on the sign's handle?" Yang shook her head. "Well there was and he was holding on to it. I bet you anything that if he held it anywhere else he would've electrocuted himself and died right then and there."

Yang could only frown as she thought about Weiss's explanation. She turned back to the screen, anxious to see how the new student was fairing.

* * *

'Boone was right,' Anim thought as he kept his steady sprint through the forest. 'I really have no sense of distance.'

He had been sprinting for several minutes and there was still no sign of the clearing, only more and more trees and various fauna. The howling had gotten fainter which was nice, but he was starting to get tired from all the running. He had endurance, but it would only last so long.

However his search took another turn for the worst as he saw three black and white figures emerge out of the foliage in front of him. They looked like black pigs which was something no one in the Wasteland had ever seen before except in pictures. But these were heavily armored on their backs and their faces had a full white and red mask, something Anim began to speculate was a common feature for all Grimm. A pair of large, curved tusks jutted out from their mouths as well. It had four round orange eyes not unlike a Deathstalker, but comparatively speaking these pigs looked far less dangerous.

"I don't have time for this!" Anim cried as he jumped into the air from his sprint. The three pigs squealed in surprise and stopped their foraging to look up at the airborne human. A flash of amber light later and Anim was descending down with Oh Baby, poised to smash the middle one's skull in.

* * *

"Yay war hammer!"

"Nora, please calm down."

"Eww, his is all rusty and orange. Oh wait, my hair's orange! It's a sign!"

"Nora…"

"He could be my hammer buddy!"

Both teams and even the random students around Nora just stared at the eccentric girl in shock. Most had a blush on their face as they processed her declaration while Ren tried his best to conceal his and sigh at his partner's antics.

Yang was the only one who wasn't staring at Nora because she was too busy holding on to Ruby's shoulder so she wouldn't collapse onto the floor laughing.

"I bet you would like that Nora! Hahaha!"

"I mean, not hammer as in…" Nora nonchalantly explained before a red faced Pyrrha interrupted her.

"Nora!" The red head quickly gestured over to a very red Ruby Rose who was trying to ignore everything but the battle on the screen and failing horribly if her growing blush was any indication.

"Sorry!"

"Nora," Ren pleaded again. This time she nodded and went back to watching the screen, watching the man obliterate a Boarbatusk's head and readying his war hammer for the other two. Her blush took a little longer to evaporate than everyone else's as she kept stealing quick glances at her partner and childhood friend, her mind still on about hammers.

* * *

One of the remaining Boarbatusks ran away while the other coiled into a small ball and began to spin in place once Anim killed off the first one. It was a pretty messy kill as he did not expect the pig's head to spurt out so much blood and now his chest piece and armored boots had a fresh layer of blood on them now. He raised a brow at the weird display before the Grimm charged forward with incredible speed.

He barely dodged the spinning ball of death and the Boarbatusk squealed in pain as it struck the large tree behind Anim. It fell over like a rock but quickly got onto its hooves to try its attack again.

"How did you not break your neck?" Anim asked the beast. If anything else tried that it would've probably died on the spot. The Boarbatusk only charged forward and Anim decided to break its neck for it. With one well timed overhead smash he slammed Oh Baby right into the spinning mass. He struck the Grimm's armored back instead of his intended target, but the kinetic force behind the blow easily broke its spine. It gave a small shrill squeak of agony before Anim silenced it for good with another strike from Oh Baby, crushing its head in in and splattering more blood and gore on himself and the forest floor.

Anim took the moment to catch his breath and put away Oh Baby. Looking around he found no trace of the last Boarbatusk. 'They don't look like the ambush type of creature. They're more like Mole Rats who just charge stupidly and run away.' A not too distant deep squeal reversed his opinion. 'Or maybe not. Maybe it was just running back to its own pack.'

"Speaking of running," Anim muttered as the faint howls echoed again. He renewed his sprinting once more, leaving behind the two carcasses to his displeasure. Under normal circumstances he would've taken his time and skin and carve whatever was useful from the two pigs, even the bear, but he was being hunted down and didn't have the luxury of time anymore.

When he finally reached the clearing he found several pedestals in the center of it. As he walked up to them he realized they were large chess pieces. From pawn to king each piece in both colors were presented before him on large gray pedestals.

"I guess this is it." Anim looked around the clearing, confusion still etched into his face. He had played chess before with other NCR soldiers, so he understood the pieces. What he didn't understand was why Ozpin chose them as his relics. "Am I just supposed to take one?"

He was about follow up on that but he quickly retracted his hand, his mind forming a different theory. "Wait," he mumbled. "Wait there must be some kind of meaning behind all of these pieces."

'Ozpin said Beacon trained hunters and huntresses, but perhaps it wasn't that simple. If the other students had to do this too, that means initiation would innately separate them into different groups. Perhaps, perhaps this is a way for Beacon to decide how each student will classified and trained,' Anim theorized as he looked between each chess piece. 'If that's the case, then these pieces symbolize what kind of person you think you are. What you choose will dictate what kind of role you'll play at the school.'

He strolled through the circle of pedestals, pondering about how he defined himself.

'I am not a pawn, not anymore.'

'I am not a helpless king. Kings are weak and fragile when in play, needing protection from all sides and sending their troops to fight while they stay back.'

'I am not a queen, some ultimate jack of all trades. The NCR may see me as an ultimate weapon, but I don't. I'm nothing special.'

'I am not a rook who only charges forward blindly. I knew what I was doing in that war, but the NCR never saw my side.'

'I am not a bishop either. Not the religious type.'

"That leaves the knights." Anim concluded as he stood between the white and black knight pieces. 'I suppose it's the closest thing to me. I try my best to be noble and protective like one, even if I'm anything but noble now. Not after what I did…anyways. They move awkwardly, but that adds to their flexibility and power on the field. They're often the first ones to be targeted and take the brunt of the opponent's offensive at some point. Sounds like me in a nutshell in battle.'

He looked between the two pieces, judging each's color palate. He quickly decided against the black knight piece, the color reminding him too much about the Legion's uniform. Making up his mind, he took the white piece and digitized it.

* * *

"Hey he chose one!" The same cry echoed throughout the amphitheater once the new student made up his mind. There was a quick surge of questioning on which team had chosen the white knight piece previously.

None had bothered to look behind the crowd at Team RWBY.

"Woo!" Yang cheered as she threw her fist into the air. "Looks like he's joining our team!"

Blake only nodded in agreement while Ruby gave a similar cheer and gave her sister a high five, watching her newest teammate walk away from the pedestals. The idea of a team of four girls and one guy didn't exactly faze her, nor Blake or Yang. Weiss however was not too happy about his choice.

"I should've figured," the white haired woman mumbled as she face palmed. "Just my luck, first I get a child as a team leader and then a filthy, stupid boy joins the team."

"Oh come on Weiss," Yang said as she nudged the heiress's shoulder to which she angrily swatted the blonde's arm away. "It's not so bad. Lots of teams here are co-ed. Plus we'll set ground rules when we move in."

"And if he is the degenerate, disgusting man I know he is? What then?"

"Then we'll just have to teach him a lesson," Yang answered with an evil smirk as she cracked her knuckles. "Don't you agree?"

Weiss smirked at Yang's solution. "A hundred percent."

"Guys," Ruby said, scared at her two teammate's scheming. "He joined not five minutes ago and already you're picking on him." Weiss and Yang ignored her, continuing their talk about how to deal with any unscrupulous accidents that involved their newest teammate. Blake gave her team leader a small reassuring squeeze on her shoulder and motioned towards the screen.

"We'll talk about living arrangements later," Blake announced. "He still has to make it back to Ozpin."

"Well he's not getting back anytime soon," Jaune pointed out. "He just sat on the ground, and made an apple appear, and he's back to eating again." The rest of his team only shook their heads at the young man. He literally just started to lounge around and eat in the clearing as if he suddenly wanted to have a picnic.

"See!" Weiss pointed out. "This is not good. We can't have an imbecile like that on our team."

"So quick to judge young lady."

Team RWBY and Team JNPR turned around at the new voice behind them to find an elderly man in a burgundy suit outlined with gold. His eyes were but a fine line and he had a fine moustache combed neatly.

"Excuse me?" Weiss asked.

"While you were perceptive in your analysis of this new student's weaponry, you have failed to realize the reality of his situation," The man started to explain before Ruby raised her hand in front of him. "Yes?"

"Um, who are you?" Ruby asked timidly.

He looked taken back before he hummed in realization and stroked his moustache. "Ah yes my apologies to you all. I forgot for the briefest of moments that I was addressing first year students who did not know me. I am Professor Port, retired hunter and Beacon's expert on Grimm physiology and hunting tactics."

"Professor," Pyrrha said, grabbing everyone's attention. "What did you mean by the reality of his situation?"

"I'm glad you asked young lady and I was just about to explain." Port then raised his large finger and pointed to the still sitting and snacking student. "While you all have done well in assessing his fighting and equipment, you have glazed over an important factor in his initiation progress."

"And what is that?" Weiss asked, eager to learn from the professor and possibly get a head start in class.

"The noise of the forest," Port stated simply. Both teams looked perplexed at the elderly man's explanation but he quickly elaborated his point. "Did none of you notice the faint howling after his stupendous battle with that Ursa Major?"

For a few seconds no one could recall such a noise but Blake nodded in agreement with Port. "It was very faint, but I did hear a strange noise. But the crowd is so loud that I couldn't make out what it was."

"Aha! Good show young lady," Port praised.

"That sound, as I said, was a howl. A Beowolf howl." Ruby and Weiss looked at each other, both remembering their encounter with a Beowolf pack in yesterday's initiation. "And did anyone notice a squeal after he had killed the Boarbatusks?"

Blake nodded again and Port once again gave her a small praise. The rest of her team looked at the quiet girl with amazement, surprised that she had such good hearing. "That was the squeal of a Boarbatusk Matriarch. If you could hear it properly, you would recognize it by its deeper and hoarser squeal."

"Matriarch, deep and hoarse squeal," Weiss muttered to herself in a small, quiet chant, trying to remember that fact for future studies.

"The reality of this student's situation is plain and simple to recognize," Port lectured. "He is being hunted. By two packs of Grimm no less."

"Woah!" Ruby said. "That is…not good."

"Indeed."

"Wait," Pyrrha interrupted. "If he knows he is being hunted then why is he just sitting there eating?"

"Is he just taking a break before he runs for his life?" Jaune asked.

Port shook his head before looking at the young man on the screen finish his apple. The ex-hunter knew potential and knowledge when he saw it, but this new student impressed greatly. He was doing everything right so far, given what his weapons were and his present circumstances, which was not the greatest in the slightest. "He is waiting for them."

"But why?" Ren asked, finally talking. "It would be best to run. He has the relic already."

"Yeah!" Nora agreed.

"Ah, but you would be wrong. That would only complicate his situation," Port rebutted. "His armor is coated in fresh Boarbatusk blood, making it easy for both packs to sniff him out no matter where he was. And surely you realize that he alone could not outrun so many Grimm. He would never make it to Professor Ozpin and the airship in time."

No one could disagree with the professor's logic there and kept silent. They all remembered how they couldn't escape from the Deathstalker and Nevermore yesterday during their initiation. Killing them was the only way to survive against them. "He understands that. The forest would be a very cramped stage to battle in, especially if he is so protective of the trees," Port chuckled. "The clearing is the best place for him to confront the Grimm. How he plans to fight so many, your guess is as good as mine," Port finished as started to make his way back around the crowd to reach the other professors. The two teams looked amongst each other, processing what the professor had told them all.

Really though, how was he supposed to fight all of them?

* * *

Anim threw away another apple core as he filled his growing hunger. It was nearing noon now and all the fighting had brought forth a small appetite. The apples did a decent job at sating it and he had finished three already as he waited for his hunters to arrive.

He had just materialized another apple when several squeals and snorts from his left got his attention. Looking over he saw a group of those black armored pigs from earlier wobbling out from the forest. He counted seven normal ones and one large leader. The big one had armor almost all over its body and was about twice as large as the normal ones. Its tusks were thicker and had small thorn-like spikes all over them. The Matriarch gave a deep baritone snort as its four large eyes stared back at the human, its offspring doing the same and forming a protective ring around their mother.

They stared each other down, each waiting for the other side to make the first move. Apparently they knew not to charge in blindly. But a loud howl brought both sides to look at Anim's right where several new figures jumped out of the forest.

'What in the? They look like Grimm versions of Deathclaws,' Anim thought in horror. For the first time today a twinge of legitimate fear surged through his body. He was expecting wild dogs or coyotes to be following him all this time or anything else but these things. These hunched over, bipedal Grimm looked like a combination of that bear he had fought earlier and a Deathclaw. Several white spikes were lined up on its arms and shoulder with a few on their kneepads and legs. A Grimm mask covered their faces while large fangs and claws were their weapons. There were a staggering fourteen of them with the largest on leading them in the front of the pack, no doubt the alpha. If these things were as strong and fast as a Deathclaw was, he would be lucky to survive with two limbs intact if any whatsoever. 'Really wished I had ammo now, would've made this much easier.'

The Boarbatusks started to squeal louder as they turned their attention to the pack of Beowolves. The Beowolves did the same with their growling, watching Anim and the Boarbatusks with caution.

"Interesting," Anim whispered as he stood up, grabbing the attention of both packs of Grimm. These creatures were all born from darkness supposedly, yet were very much animalistic in nature. There was no cooperation, no cross species companionship and alliances in an effort to collectively destroy mankind.

Anim took a firm hold of his apple again and swallowed his thick saliva. They were beasts to the very core, all fighting for survival against man and each other, mindless brothers fighting amongst each other with humanity as their other prey. They were like the mutants back home, all fighting for survival against the elements.

He took a deep breath and readied his plan. If that was the case, then this might just be crazy enough to work.

Not even bothering to aim properly, Anim turned to the Boarbatusks and threw his apple as if it were a baseball. The fruit sped through the air and smacked into the Matriarch's face, splattering into juice and chunks. Squealing in anger, the Matriarch tucked into itself and began to roll in place, its pack following its leader's example.

"Now or never!" Anim cried out as he turned to face the Boarbatusks. He turned his head slightly to find the Beowolves behind him snarling at them but not daring to move forward. He hadn't drawn a weapon yet so the pack must've thought he wasn't a threat. The Boarbatusks were targeting the human as well, so they weren't a threat either.

Or so the Beowolves thought.

Like cannonballs the Boarbatusks shot forward with impeccable speeds at the unarmed human. Anim grit his teeth in concentration as he tried to follow all eight pigs charging his way. He barely dodged two before he realized he couldn't keep up. Clicking his Pip-Boy, he materialized his Chainsaw and stuck the blade into the ground at an angle and ducked underneath it. Sure enough the improvised ramp caught the rest by surprise and they flew off the Chainsaw into the air, barreling towards the equally surprised Beowolves. Only the Matriarch didn't fly towards the sun as its large stature just plowed into Anim like a wrecking ball. He flew back a few yards before he landed.

Standing up, he was pleased to find his plan had worked pretty well. The Beowolves were howling in anger and hunger as they leaped onto the Boarbatusks, clawing and tearing into their attackers. Two Beowolves were already dead from the charge, their chests flattened and mushy from being directly hit, and now it was a matter of seeing how long the Boarbatusks would last against the onslaught.

The Matriarch squealed loudly at the slaughtering of her children and disengaged from Anim to attack the Beowolves. It made its presence known as it charged into the pile of white and black, its tusks tearing into a Beowolf and ripping its fur and flesh apart. Beastial noises chorused throughout the clearing as the two Grimm fought one another and for the most part ignored Anim.

But just as the Courier decided to make a break for it three Beowolves leapt from the brawl to face him. He wordlessly held his Chainsaw up and flicked it's on switch. The power tool roared to life as its blade cleaved through the air, egging on the Beowolves to try their luck against the human. Anim spat out a bit of blood as he stared the three beasts down. The blow from earlier hurt pretty badly, but with the sun shining above him, he had no worries.

"Come on," he taunted as he wiped the blood off his lip with one hand, his other still holding the Chainsaw firmly. "Show me what the first hunters of this world are capable of."

With a ferocious snarl the three Beowolves jumped forward towards Anim, all of them with claws poised to rip his armor and flesh apart. He sidestepped to the right and slashed into the belly of the closest one. His frown deepened slightly as the Chainsaw took a little while to cut through the Beowolf's tough hide, but the flesh was like butter to his power tool. Within a few seconds the Chainsaw ripped through its stomach, spraying hot red blood everywhere and nearly cutting the Grimm in half. It didn't even whimper as it fell down dead, its blood adding its own crimson hue to the forest floor as well its sickly brown stomach bile. The other two Beowolves weren't even fazed by the kill and attacked again.

Anim raised his Chainsaw to block a downwards claw and gave the wolf a deep gash in its arm, but he was knocked to the ground by the other one's powerful slash to his flank. He was careful to hold the Chainsaw in the air so as to not cut himself but it made getting up more of a hassle. The Beowolves leapt at him again just as he stood up but he was ready this time. Rolling under the two, he reached out and grabbed one of the two's legs with his free hand and slammed it downwards, forcing the Beowolf to land on its back with a surprised whine. Not missing beat, Anim stomped his metal boot onto the Grimm's abdomen and stabbed his Chainsaw into the Beowolf's chest. The metal blade ate through its body in seconds and embedded itself into the ground below, ripping through tissue, muscle, and bone. The beast howled in pain as blood flew out from its fatal wound, painting Anim's armor and its fur.

He couldn't pull the Chainsaw out in time to block the last one's pounce. Anim grunted in pain and frustration as he was thrown onto his back again, this time with a snarling, drooling Beowolf straddling him. The Beowolf leaned forward to bite his neck, hoping to finish the fight right there and then but Anim countered immediately. He swerved his head to the side to dodge the bite and quickly grabbed the beast's head and held it next to him. With its head locked in place the Beowolf's only option was to attack blindly with its claws. Anim prayed his Tesla Armor would hold up to the claws as they scratched and dented it. He mustered enough strength to punch the Beowolf's unprotected neck, hard enough to stun the beast for a split second from pain.

Pushing the gasping Beowolf off of him, he rushed over to the Chainsaw and ripped it out of the corpse, flinging blood and gore into the air. His weapons roared to life once again and he charged at the still now recovered Grimm. He ducked underneath another swipe and slashed at the Beowolf's right leg, nearly cutting through it, revealing the bone and ripped muscles. It howled in pain and fell to its knees, unable to support itself. Anim wasted no time and brought the bloody tool down and into the Beowolf's already pain neck. Like a mechanical guillotine it beheaded the beast in seconds.

Anim had no rest though as he turned his Chainsaw off and turned to face the rest of the Beowolf pack. His armor was heavily dented from the Matriarch's charge and the Beowolves' attacks. Blood covered his Tesla Armor like paint and he was starting to really tire out.

The Boarbatusk pack was nothing but disemboweled corpses now. Even the Matriarch lay dead among its children, its flanks slashed open and exposing its internal organs. A large pool of blood from all the pigs watered the crimson ground. Joining them were five Beowolf corpses, two from the initial attack and three more gored or smashed to death by the Boarbatusks. The six remaining Beowolves now had their attention on Anim. Their mouths dripped fresh blood, though Anim couldn't tell if it was their own or the pigs'. The Alpha ripped a chuck of flesh off one of the smaller Boarbatusks and messily scarfed it down as it watched Anim from afar. Anim smirked at the menacing sign. It was a final warning for him to leave. The beasts have more than enough food for its surviving members; there was no more need to hunt the human down.

But Anim had long made his choice. He was here to hunt Grimm, as a student of Beacon, as a hunter of Remnant, as a human. To back down now would only mean these beasts would recover in strength and numbers to hunt more humans in the future. Innocents would die if he ran now.

The mere thought of such a future hardened his glare at the Alpha and his pack.

Retreat was out of the question, death was the only solution.

A flash of light and his Chainsaw was replaced with his Power Gloves. Against so many enemies the chances of his own weapon gutting himself was too high, same with Nuka Breaker which would electrocute him easily and Oh Baby would merely slow him down. These things were fast and relentless; he needed all the speed he could get.

* * *

Yang's interest in the student only grew more intense as she saw his new pair of gauntlets. They were interesting to say the least, but nowhere near as intricate and elegant as the modern gauntlets around Vale. His were large, blocks of cut steel almost. His wrists were protected by a huge guard made of metal with a piston attached to it. The piston extended all the way down to the back of his hand which was similarly protected with metal. If she had to guess the pistons added extra power whenever he landed a punch, extending out like a secondary punch made of steel.

Cool idea, but compared to her Ember Celica, they looked like a piece of junk.

"Gauntlets too," Ren noted quietly. "It really seems as though he has an entire arsenal that he could use at his whim."

Nora gave a beaming smile at Yang as she patted the blonde's shoulder. "Hey! He could be both of our weapon buddies!"

"Heh," Yang chuckled as she watched the young man glare at the approaching Beowolves. "Sure! If he can prove that he could throw a decent punch. Maybe then I'll consider it."

* * *

Anim wordlessly watched the Grimm form a circle around him. It was not unlike the Gecko packs he had fought and hunted back in the Wasteland. Only these things were much scarier that little Geckos, except Fire Geckos, those things were pretty damn scary too. But the past was the past, and he had to focus on the dangerous now. They were circling around him now, their red eyes watching him, their bodies tense and ready for his attacks.

'Pretty patient creatures," Anim thought. He too was ready in his battle stance, a classic boxer stance with his arms up, fists at the ready, and feet apart. But patience only went so far as two from both his sides charged forward, claws at the ready. He concentrated his strength and with a burst of speed he turned to punch one square in its lower jaw and then turned to uppercut the other one, sending both out of the circle. Now it was fair game for the rest of the pack and all of them jumped in at the human.

The next few seconds were a black, white, and red blur for the Courier. He ducked, weaved, dodged, and jumped against so many claws and bites that pure instinct and reflexes were driving his body now. He threw punches and kicks to anything near him. He flipped back and forth whenever he could to make room but the beasts just got close again and attacked ferociously.

'Too much!' Anim roared in his mind in terror. These things weren't nearly as strong as Deathclaws, but they made that up with their speed and tenacity. Even so their attacks were strong enough to dent and scratch his Tesla Armor and their claws ripped through the weak sections of the suit.

Blood flew everywhere, Grimm and human alike. Almost all the Beowolves were missing at least a few of their fangs and their mouths were dripping with more and more fresh blood. Only the Alpha remained fine as it was twice as fast as the rest of its pack.

Just as Anim tried to break away and get more room the Alpha leapt and gave a huge diagonal slash at his chest. The force of the attack sent him yards away and cut through his shoulder piece, leaving exposed the bloody and clawed flash underneath.

Anim staggered up to his feet. As he did he couldn't help but slightly vomit as he felt his armor cave in way too much into his stomach now coupled with the multiple scratches and bites over his body. His breakfast and blood splashed onto the ground as he bent over, grimacing at his internal pain and the bile in his mouth. He quickly shook off the nausea and brought his hands up to the armor's collar.

'I need to get this deathtrap off!' Anim struggled to rip apart the state of the art armor, not even considering using his Pip-Boy. 'I have to get rid of it. It's no use anymore. Can't even fix it anyways.' Luckily the battle damaged armor soon yielded and he pulled the chest piece off. He threw both pieces onto the ground as he gasped for fresh air, glad the armor wasn't squeezing his torso anymore.

"Thank God!" Anim wheezed out. He was now left with his white collared shirt that was under his Tesla Armor and the armor's arm and leg portions. However with how much damaged he sustained from the earlier brawl even those pieces were breaking off. His arm armor only came up to his biceps now and his leg armor only up to his thighs, all with small dents and slash marks on them. The strength enhancement the suit came with still worked however to his pleasure.

Blood dripped down his various wounds. His left shoulder was bleeding badly, the white bone barely exposed. His face also had several scratches on it. But most of the pain was internal thanks to his broken armor.

He didn't care though. As the Beowolves started to make their way to him he only breathed deeply and sighed. He raised his head high into the air, beads of sweat falling from his head and onto the pieces of scrap in front of him. He closed his eyes and basked in the sun's soothing light, letting it wash over him like a warm shower.

Anim sighed again. He heard the beasts approaching. He had no choice.

It was time.

* * *

"What is he doing?" Ruby called out worriedly. The guy was just standing there now! He was horribly injured and just standing there! He didn't even have his arms raised up. Team RWBY watched nervously as their newest teammate was only minutes away from death. Nora was equally scared for her new-yet-not-official buddy, huddling close to Ren for comfort. Ren grimaced slightly, knowing there was no chance for the man to live. Jaune clenched his teeth in equal horror while Pyrrha grabbed onto his should tightly as she watched, though both didn't realize it.

Everyone watched in silent fascination, eager to see how he would survive the onslaught.

They watched him mutter something that the camera couldn't catch.

They watched him click one button on his device before clenching his fists and his muscles.

Everyone practically breathed with the guy as he said one last thing before he opened his eyes, the Beowolves literally right in front of him.

And then there was nothing but light.

* * *

"When Ozpin said this world was haunted by creatures of darkness. I thought he meant you beasts were nocturnal. That you feared the sun and the wonderful warmth that it brought. That you feared the light."

He brought his hand to his Pip-Boy and clicked the last button on it. A pain in his wrist followed as the device's screen began to glow bright amber. Indeed his body which was absorbing the sun's rays was slightly glowing amber as well.

Pure fire surged through his entire body, a familiar feeling and one he had felt time and time again already.

"Clearly I was wrong. You fear neither."

He opened his eyes, blinding the world with them.

"But I'll make you."

* * *

**Author's Notes: Thank you for the all the support everyone. I hope I wrote the characters well enough for you to enjoy. Feedback on that and anything else is always appreciated and welcome for constructive criticism.**


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